tarelki

[Francoise Rosset]

I too (three) would like to know about tarelki -- I've had similar
discussions.

Vysockij used "ikhnyj" or "ikhnij" ("ikhnyj kapitan") in at least one
his songs. But V. was famous for his use of street language, and the
speaker is a soldier.

>people that use words like "lazhyc'" or "ikhny" are considered
>uneducated villagers. Pretty sad. For example, Irish and Scotts do
>not get discriminated on the basis of their accent in British Isles.
With all due respect, many Scots and Irish  DO  feel discriminated
against in the British Isles. Besides, you're comparing having an
accent (where the words are shared) to using different words. It's
related, but not exactly the same.

Sure, some of the restrictions on "proper" usage smack of politico-
linguistic imperialism; they can also be distinctions of social class.
Some people are in fact poorly educated. And sometimes they were not
paying attention in school. The English grammar and spelling used
by our native English-speaking students is a good example, --
and one that cuts across class lines.

I agree with Tom Beyer that many standards have gone limp and we should
avoid prescriptiveness, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that
a native speaker emigre *student* is just wrong. I'm always eager to
take the opinion of a Russian colleague. I'm a *little* more wary of
emigre students, but I make sure they get to make their point in
class. Any information is welcome and can generate discussion.

About "klass": add to that very elastic use of "kurs."

Where's the *Wall Street Journal* when it should be paying attention
to how we "overpaid" professors use our "free" time? ...

-FR



Francoise Rosset                          phone:  (508) 286-3696
Department of Russian                     fax:    (508) 286-3640
Wheaton College                           e-mail: frosset at wheatonma.edu
Norton, Massachusetts 02766