kofe

[Lotoshko Yu.R.]

Alinochka, vo-pervych strokax s nastupajuchim dnjom rozdenija (ili ka sejcas
govorit molodez - s dnjo varenja)
Vtoroje, po TV uzhe   neskol'ko mesjacev krutjat reklamu, v kotoroj
obojatelnejshi pribalt (kazhets'a - Kalmish Igral policejckogo v
filme DRONGO) reklamiryjet kofe i dokazhyvajet chto kofe - on muzhcina
(masculine), poetomu chernyj

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alina Israeli" <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 5:21 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] kofe


> >Then again, this is Moscow, where it is now considered acceptable to
order
> >"odno kofe."
>
> And it should be, morphologically speaking. It's not like KOFE has a
> gender, like shimpanze. KOFE has had a strange fate, from kofij to kofe
> with its illogical gender. The only thing that supports masculine gender
is
> the diminutive kofeek, probably based on kofij.
>
> Some time in the 60's or early 70's, when the fashion started, people were
> polled and already then 50% used neuter gender and 50% used masculine. Now
> grandchildren of those polled have come of age.
>
> There are words that changed gender and occasionally morphology ro
> accomodate the change. But then coffee was not popular in Russia until the
> Soviet Union began making friends in Africa and Latin America in the 60's.
>
> Dictionaries occasionally are very stubborn in not admitting change. Case
> in point - odolzhit'. They still mention only the meaning of 'dat'
vzajmy'.
> Meanwhile four generations of educated Russians have used it meaning
> 'vzjat' vzajmy' and would not know any different unless they spend a lot
of
> time reading dictionaries.
>
> __________________________
>  Alina Israeli
>  LFS, American University
>  4400 Mass. Ave., NW
>  Washington, DC 20016
>
>  phone:    (202) 885-2387
>  fax:      (202) 885-1076
>
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