What's in the Name...*

Evidently, I am not the only one living in the linguistic limbo these days. According to a German observer of contemporary Russian life, my compatriots in the old country are having trouble coming up with a way to address each other; it is a sign of having departed from the old Soviet discourse but not having entirely adapted to the discourse of the West, capitalism, or social hierarchy (for the original article in German see here; the Russian translation can be found here).

For obvious reasons, tovarishch (the Russian for "comrade"), which not only denoted classless society and adherence to the communist ideology but was also gender-neutral, is not popular anymore. But neither are pre-revolutionary equivalents of "ma'am" and "sir," "Mrs." and Mr.," at least in the oral speech. As the article points out, "comrade janitor" was acceptable, but "madam janitor" sounds ridiculous and even mocking. The hybrids like "comrade mister" or "madam comrade" while quite appropriate for the "transitional" period did not become popular either.

What is really interesting and very ironic, is that grazhdanin, the Russian equivalent of "citizen," or French citoyen (introduced in France after the Revolution of 1789 and connoting social and civic equality) has never, even in the Soviet days, been very widely used. When it was used, instead of stressing the equal standing of the one to whom it was addressed, it denoted their untrustworthyness, dubious standing in the polity, and lower designation in the society. I guess it was a way -- although probably not quite conscious -- to signal that political society with its comrades was above civil/civic society and citizens. But it is also telling that "citizen" has not gained a positive connotation in the "new" Russia.

The country's post-socialist leaders have not provided much guidance on the issue, nor have shown consistency. Boris Yeltsin used to address his constituents as "dear compatriots," which is fine for a statesman but would hardly work if you need to ask your fellow bus-rider to get out of your way so you could exit the jam-packed vehicle. Vladimir Putin reportedly used "colleagues," but this too would not sound quite right between people in a line to the doctor's office or at the post office. Interestingly, the new president Dmitrii Medvedev is said to use "tovarishch", but it is still too early in his tenure to say whether it is a sign of things to revert to the communist past or just some personal quirk of his.

For now, the Russians are left with "young man" and "miss" even if the addressee is neither young nor single. It might be inaccurate and politically-incorrect, but at least it depoliticizes the interaction. I have to say though that these are not entirely new designations: I remember them being used in my childhood, before the official end of the Soviet endeavor. Which is just another example of my dissertation thesis: delegitimation of socialist ideology (as exemplified by reluctant usage of "comrade") began before Gorbachev's reforms; the collective and uniform (as in tovarishch) was replaced by more private and personal (even if still the same for all and imprecise for many) but nothing ideologically specific like the "capitalistic" "madam" and "sir."

We'll see what happens first: the linguistic stabilization, the political and economic consolidation (I am purposefully refraining from using "democratic" and "market" as it is unclear that Russia is still moving in that direction or that it ever has), or the completion of my dissertation. Personally, I am rooting for the last, as selfish as it might be.

* I'm taking time off from sight-seeing to do some academic work. More travelogue to come soon -- we are going to Jerusalem for a few days in the end of the week.