abbreviation "t."

[Yelena]

I could assume that the nephew is a child. I saw several letters which were
written by children to their adult aunts and uncles. Quite often they may
start with, for example, "Uvazhemyi dyadya Zhora". I also saw one card when
a boy wrote "Uvazhaemaya t. Anya". Best regards, sincerely yours,

Dr. Yelena Minyonok
Institute of World Literature
Folklore Department
www.russianexpedition.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Isham" <jfi1 at COLUMBIA.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2005 7:27 AM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] abbreviation "t."


> But that is precisely why I am asking!  There are elements in the
> letter which suggest the nephew and aunt were not particularly
> close to one another.
>
> If I did not know she were his aunt, I would assume the "t." must
> stand for "tovarishch."  My copy of Ozhegov shows that word as the
> only (human) referent for the abbreviation "t."; and I myself
> cannot recall ever having seen it stand for "tetia," just as we
> never use (or at least I never have used) "u." as an abbreviation
> for "uncle" or "a." as an abbreviation for "aunt."
>
> "Uvazhaemaia tetia Liuda" sounds like a strange mix of the formal
> and the informal to me.  But so admittedly does "Uvazhaemaia
> tovarishch Liuda."  I was wondering whether the native Russian
> ear/eye immediately hears/sees it as one or the other.  Or is it
> perhaps truly ambiguous and impossible to tell?  Would it have been
> out of the question for relatives in the late seventies to address
> each other as "tovarishch?"
>
> John Isham
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Also, the "uvazhaemaia" seems (to me at least) to sound too formal
> for "tetia" (I would've thought "dorogaia").
>
> Цитирую Genevra Gerhart <ggerhart at COMCAST.NET>:
>
>> If you _know_ she's his aunt, why would you ask?
>>
>> Genevra Gerhart
>>
>> ggerhart at comcast.net
>>
>> www.genevragerhart.com
>> www.russiancommonknowledge.com
>>
>>
>>
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