Toasts

[Raul MacDiarmid]

Very gratifying to strike such a nerve and get such interesting and authoritative answers.  I suppose I should give my one example of hearing Na zdorov'e: I had just bought a bottle of vodka from a street vender and he put the bottle in a bag and handed it to me with a smile and said "na zdorov'e."

Thanks again
RM

Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list schrieb am 01.03.04 21:20:42:
>
> To get out of Moscow regarding toasts, here is what a young couple from Velikiy Novgorod wrote me: "when you toast, most of the time you either say Za vashe zdorov'e (or just vashe zdorov'e), or Bud'te zdorovy. However, you will most likely almost never hear anyone say "na zdorov'e" as a toast. This phrase, however, exists independently (from drinking), and is used in other situations. At least that's how it is in Novgorod, and some places in Belarus."
> Cheers,
> Robert Hunter
> rhunter at monroecc.edu
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list on behalf of Bryon
> Sent: Mon 3/1/2004 3:19 AM
> To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Toasts
>
>
>
> Thanks for the thoughtful response, Alina.
> Over the last several days I've been asking friends here (native speakers) in person, and by e-mail, the same question that lead to all the feedback. Interestingly, at first, about half said that "na" was OK as a toast. Then, once they thought about it, they said it wasn't. The consensus Saturday at a housewarming party (where no one used "na"!) was that "na" is sometimes used in toasts, only improperly -- the influence of outside forces, marriages and cultures, on the language.
> Then again, this is Moscow, where it is now considered acceptable to order "odno kofe."
>
> Bryon
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alina Israeli
> 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/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 2/20/2004
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------


______________________________________________________________________________
Extra-Konto: 2,50 %* Zinsen p. a. ab dem ersten Euro! Nur hier mit 25
Euro-Tankgutschein & ExtraPramie! https://extrakonto.web.de/?mc=021110

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------