Na zdorov'e

[James Mallinson]

I've heard "Na zdorovye" used as a response to
"Spasiba" but only after thanking someone for a
serving of food (or, more as a joke, after someone
gives thanks for a cigarette).  Otherwise, I normally
heard "Pozhaluista."
I heard "Na zdorovye" as the most common first toast
numerous times during 8 months in Belarus.  My Polish
friends commonly use it as well.  It could be that it
moved from Poland through Belarus into Russia.  I'm
one of the few non-linguists on this list, however, so
I'm sure there are those reading this who can give me
the academic smack down.  I'm just speaking from my
own "on the ground" experience.

James

--- Deborah Hoffman <lino59 at AMERITECH.NET> wrote:
> I wonder if it comes from another Slavic language?
> I grew up hearing people say Na zdorov'e all the
> time as a toast, along with Prosit.  Maybe it's
> Slovak?  There are many descendants of East
> Europeans here.
> Deborah
>
> SEELANGS automatic digest system
> <LISTSERV at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU> wrote:There are 4
> messages totalling 254 lines in this issue.
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> Topics of the day:
>
> 1.  Na zdorov'e
> 2. Russian Orthodox wedding ceremony (3)
>
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>
> Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 08:16:07 -0700
> From: Elena Boudovskaia
> Subject: Re: Na zdorov'e
>
> Na zdorov'e is not a toast, its' what you answer
> when someone says to you
> Spasibo!
>
> I wonder why all non-Russian speakers think it's a
> toast? A reminiscence
> from a film somewhere from the 40s maybe, depicting
> war-time friendship? Or
> from the 50s, about Russian spies? Definitely it's
> not Russian, whichever
> the source.
>
> Real toasts are many (probably there are collections
> of them somewhere on
> the Internet too). Some of the common ones are: Za
> vashe zdorov'e; Budem
> zdorovy (or just Budem); simpler ones like Nu davai
> or Poexali; and the
> famous one from Bulgakov's Sobach'e serdce: Zhelaiu,
> chtoby vse! (ili:
> chtoby vsio; the word-final e allows two readings,
> and Bulgakov never told
> us which one he meant).
>
> Regards,
>
> Elena
>
>
>
>
>
> Deborah Hoffman
> Graduate Assistant
> Kent State University
> Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies
>
> http://www.personal.kent.edu/~dhoffma3/index.htm
>
>
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