Post on 03-Jan-2016
Introduction All around Russian Difficult to comprehend Benefit your understanding
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Alphabet 33 letters Transliterated with Latin alphabet Cyrillic alphabet http://upload.wikimedia.org
/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Russian_
alphabet.ogg
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Name Customs Formal
First, Patronymic, Last
Patronymic Father’s first name + suffix
Informal Younger people
No patronymic
Diminutive name (Mikhail --- Misha)
Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Son of… Daughter of…
-ovich or -evich -ovna or -evna
Telling Names
Name of Character Root Word Meaning
Svidrigailov (None) Historic criminal Negative character
Razumikhin Razum Rationality, mind, intelligence
Zametov Zametit To notice, realize
Luzhin Luzha Puddle
Marmeladov Marmelad Marmalade, jam
Raskolnikov Raskol Schism or split
Telling Names, Telling Quotes Raskolnikov
“what can I tell you? I have known Rodion for a year and a half: sullen, gloomy, arrogant, proud; recently (and maybe much earlier) insecure and hypochondriac. Magnamious and kind. Doesn’t like voicing his feelings, and would rather do something cruel than speak his heart out in words. At times, however, he’s not hypochondriac at all, but just inhumanely cold and callous, as if there really were two opposite characters in him, changing places with each other” (Dostoevsky 215).
Svidrigailov
“I only used the whip twice” (284).
“What if I am fifty and she is not sixteen?” (482).
“ For you (Dounia) could not complain afterwards” (497).
Conclusion
Understand Dostoevsky’s literature hints Russian name customs Pronunciation General understanding
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Works Cited
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York City: Barnes and Noble, 2011. Print.
Henry. Interview by Alexis Adornetto. 20 Jan. 2015.
Herman, David. "Russian Naming Conventions." Russian Naming Conventions N.p., n.d.
Web. 27 Jan. 2015<http://faculty.virginia.edu/herman/tolstoy/namingconventions.htm>.
Nielsen, Wendy C. “Crime and Punishment.” Oct. 2005. ENLT 376: Modern European Novel Home Page. <http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/crime.html> Accessed 27 Jan. 2015.
"Russian Alphabet." Russian for Everyone. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2015. <http://www.russianforeveryone.com/RufeA/Lessons/Introduction/Alphabet/ Alphabet.htm>.
Skvorets. Russian Alphabet. Wikipedia. N.p., Sept. 2007. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://upload.wikimedia.org /wikipedia/commons/2/24/Russian_ alphabet.ogg>.