Toasts

[Lotoshko Yu.R.]

Alina? molodec
Zdes' russkij duch, zdes' rusju pachnet

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alina Israeli" <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 5:53 AM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Toasts


> >What, then, is factually correct? I, too, would be interested
> >to know. I've been living in Russia continuously since 1996,
> >and I've had many opportunities to listen to, and make,
> >toasts. "Na" is almost always used -- even if, as you say,
> >it's wrong to do so. I've never once heard "za" used without
> >a pronoun.
>
> You don't have to have "za" in some cases, you can simply say "Vashe
> zdorov'e!" But "zdorov'e" toast is the only one which allows the
> preposition omission. You cannot omit it in any of the following (or any
> other ones I could think of with a noun in them):
>
> Za prekrasnyx dam!
> Za xozjajku doma!
> Za imeninnika!
> Za skorejshee okonhanie [of whatever]!
>
> and so on, whatever the occasion (if there is one).
>
> The original syntactic construction is "podnjat' tost za + Acc" or "vypit'
> za". The latter one was used in the title of a play by Zhuxovickij "Vyp'em
> za Kolumba!"
>
> If they say "na zdorov'e" while drinking, they are mimicking the use of
> this phrase while eating (and obviously mocking it), which roughly means
> 'it's good for you' which is usually a reply to a thank you at or after
the
> meal. This mocking use implies that drinking is good for you.
>
> "Na zdorov'e" could also mean 'as you please, I don't care/none of my
> problems'. For ex. as in the following dialog:
>
> - I reshila poexat' navestit' syna.
> - Nu i ezzhajte na zdorov'e. (Mne-to kakoe delo?)
>
>
> __________________________
>  Alina Israeli
>  LFS, American University
>  4400 Mass. Ave., NW
>  Washington, DC 20016
>
>  phone:    (202) 885-2387
>  fax:      (202) 885-1076
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                     http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------