18.1296, Qs: Russian Suffixes [...]

[Loren A. Billings]

Katharina (CC: SEELangs and SlavicLing lists),

I post copies of this message to two Slavic lists that might bring forth
additional suggestions. I would recommend that you look at any of a number
of backwards dictionaries of Russian. The best is _Grammaticheskii slovar'
russkogo iazyka_ by Zalizniak. There's another, the title of which begins
with _Obratnyi slovar'_ (if memory serves). All these retrograde
dictionaries list words alphabetically but by the last letter of the word.
Thus, you'd get all words ending in <nshchik> and <nnik> grouped together;
from there, you can look for patterns in other dictionaries that list their
meanings. If you don't have access to either one, write me back and I'll
type in the other words and complete references. --Loren

On 5/1/07 1:17 AM, <linguist at LINGUISTLIST.ORG> wrote:

> From: Katharina Gernet < gernet at eth.mpg.de >
> Subject: Russian Suffixal Morphemes -shchiki/-niki
>  
> 
> Dear list members,
> 
> I am a cultural anthropologist working with the Evens in Central Kamchatka,
> Russian Far East. An issue that is discussed by anthropologists not only in
> respect with the Evens from Kamchatka but with a number of other Siberian
> indigenous groups is the phenomenon of so-called ''neotraditionalism'',
> i.e. - to put it simple - the ''return'' from a life in the village to
> ''traditional'' forms of subsistence as fishermen, hunters, reindeer
> herders etc. in the taiga and tundra for various reasons.
> 
> I have heard local Evens in Kamchatka speaking of themselves in Russian as
> ''traditsionniki'' as well as ''traditsionshchiki''. I wonder what might be
> the differing semantic connotations of the suffixes -shchiki/-niki. From
> the contextual situation I drew the conclusion that while
> ''traditsionniki'' seems to be a more neutral term, ''traditsionshchiki''
> might have some expressive connotation of irony in it or something of a
> distanced view on the issue at hand (indigenous people citing academic
> writers about ''neotraditionalism'' with a certain smile or critical
> attitude).
> 
> My question to you is: Can anyone of you give me a hint where to find
> information about the possible semantic connotations of the Russian
> suffixal morphem -shchiki in contrast to -niki? I would be grateful for any
> suggestions.
> 
> Thank you very much in advance for your help.
> 
> With kind regards,
> 
> Katharina Gernet
> Max-Planck-Institut for Social Anthropology
> Halle/Saale, Germany
> 
> Linguistic Field(s): Semantics

[...]

> -----------------------------------------------------------
> LINGUIST List: Vol-18-1296

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