The Great Russian Language

[Frans Suasso]

What we see here is not a new verb, but a wordplay based on the  existing 
inchoative verb разбушеваться which is formed from the imperfective бушевать 
which is always used in connection with natural phenomena as rain, wind, 
tempest or similar.
Разбушеваться  is used in connection with the arrival of a new natural 
fenomenon which is increasing in strenght.

Obama is is described not only as "de-Bushing" but he is also compared  with 
the arrival of a strong new atmos[eric phenomenon.

Russian is a great language indeed.

Frans Suasso


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul B. Gallagher" <paulbg at PBG-TRANSLATIONS.COM>
To: <SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu>
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] The Great Russian Language


> Ben Rifkin wrote:
>
>> Dear SEELangers:
>>
>> See <http://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2009/01/23_a_2928760.shtml> for a
>> headline with what I suppose is a new Russian verb:  razbushevat'sia.
>>
>> Turgenev was right.
>
> I haven't been reading the Russian press much lately, but I can see that 
> it's a treasure trove of interesting usages.
>
> Разбушеваться was an interesting use of the reflexive -- if it had said 
> "Обама разбушевает пр-во США" I would've understood in an instant. But how 
> is Obama himself the target of the action? In a previous article 
> <http://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2009/01/22_a_2928590.shtml>, we see:
>
> Обама закрыл Гуантанамо
> -----------------------
> Барак Обама начал избавляться от наследия
> своего предшественника Джорджа Буша. ...
>
> There, the reflexive on избавляться makes perfect sense. The perfective 
> (уже полностью) "закрыл" -- less so, as one of the comments notes. ;-)
>
> That second article also contains the interesting euphemisms "особые 
> (специальные) методы дознания," which I take as the counterpart to our 
> "enhanced interrogation methods."
>
>
> I found it interesting to learn that Обама follows the model of Коля, 
> Саша, Вика, etc. -- it declines as a feminine but functions otherwise as a 
> masculine (президента Обамы, президенту Обаме, и т.д.). I expected a 
> mismatched /foreign/ name to be indeclinable.
>
> I also noticed the phrasing "Как пишет британская The Times,..." where the 
> noun is omitted -- I thought it was required.
>
> Guess I still have a lot to learn.
>
> -- 
> War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
> --
> Paul B. Gallagher
> pbg translations, inc.
> "Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
> http://pbg-translations.com
>
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