[Lexicog] Pejorative suffixes

[Dr. Hayim Y. Sheynin]

Dear Fritz,
 
In some languages, like Russian and Hebrew, the lover may address the
beloved with the nickname like 'my little dog', or even better "my
little cat, kitten", or even by the word with zero meaning but formed
with a diminutive suffix: smutsik, putsik, kosheshka, kotenochek,
pyosik, ptichka 'my little bird", and even lapushka "my little paw" and
solnyshko "my little sun", instead of English dear, darling, sweety,
honey.
Hebrew variants: klavlav (little dog), hataltul (little cat, kitten).
I think in some Hungarian operettas you can find a dialog of this kind.
However sometimes the word little dog in Russian stchenok has a
pejorative meaning like in English 'a little sucker'. 
The dialects of modern Hebrew are only evolving. It is better to speak
about a particular usages by different of professional, social or age
groups.
 
In Arabic diversity of dialects is staggering, and the usages may vary
widely.
 
 Hayim
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