ochered'

[Deborah Hoffman]

I remember reading--but can't for the life of me retrieve the source--that the use of ochered' for standing in line began in the 1920s since standing in line often meant stepping in and out of the line over the course of several days while keeping one's "turn." The same article--it may be Mills' work on Russian pragmatics--has an analysis of politeness (or lack thereof?) and requestive strategies while standing in ocherediakh and brings the specific example of the question "Vy menia zapomnite?" which might at first strike a hapless American as meaning "Will you treasure this experience we've had in your heart?" but in fact indicates "Hold my place for me while I leave for a bit and verify for anybody else that I was indeed here when I come back if anyone wants to accuse me of jumping the line."
   
  If anyone else has run across this discussion, please do let me know. 
   
  I think the bleakness and talkiness of a US line depends on where you go. Social Security, juvenile court or the welfare office are pretty bleak and also pretty full of chatter about the system, social workers, po's, paperwork, and more family issues than a talk show...
   
   
  Date:    Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:15:48 -0800
From:    Margarita Orlova <margarita at RENT-A-MIND.COM>
Subject: Re: meaning of " ochered' "

if you're staying in line for too long a time, the staying creates a  
culture of its own. So, the ochered' became the name of that culture,  
actually.

I guess Russians are too self-critical, their lines often are full of  
fun (though there can be violence as well as rudeness and belligerence
  
there, too). In Russia, people talk to each other when staying in  
lines, get connected, ask for help, create networks, live their lives.


Deborah Hoffman, Esq.
Russian > English Legal and Literary Translations

A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that he is going to be a beginner all his life. -- R. G. Collingwood

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