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14 March 2012

The perils of mis-pronunciation: Papa’s Dog Style

This morning a Russian who does not speak especially good English asked me what I had been doing last night. Speaking in English, I said,  “I was working, then I went for an hour to the pub to celebrate Doug Steele’s birthday.”
     Doug (pictured right, photos Andrey Sedin) is the brains behind many Moscow night-spots where the big dicks of the ex-pat world hang out. The Russian was someone who had once got annoyed with me because I had never heard of  Sheeshl. Have you heard of Sheeshl? No, neither had I. We went back and forth for quite some time, until she said, “Sheeshl, you know: Ueenston Sheeshl!” Then the penny dropped: Churchill, Winston Churchill.
     This is the danger in so many conversations in Russia. It’s almost as bad as trying to talk to native Shetlanders—but that’s another story. It is important to cultivate patience and tolerance.
     “Why dog steel?” she asked me this morning. “I thought it is said: style?”
     “His name is Doug Steele,” I said.
     “Oh. I thought you said 'style'. Celebrating cобачий стиль.”
     “You mean you thought I said we had been in the pub celebrating Dog Style?”
     “Yes of course.”
     Suddenly there rose up before me horrific visions of the boys on their knees in Papa’s Place enjoying the comforts of Istanbul, as it were, or what my grandfather’s generation used to call “Hunnish practices”. But as you can see from the picture below, we were all quite upright, indeed upstanding, such are the harmless pleasures of life on Meat Street, or Myasnitskaya. Even the hand holding in the picture below looks to have been quite innocent, though I did leave early and cannot be sure what happened after my hour was up.


13 comments:

  1. Ian,
    I wonder if I may suggest that Myasnitskaya is a Butcher's Street rather then Meet Street as Мясницкая от слова Мясник (Butcher)
    Best regards,
    Vasilyevich.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are quite right, of course. I would only add that it is the Anglogovoryushnk's inalienable right to misuse any language, including his own, if a joke is lurking somewhere nearby (and, of course, no disrespect is intended).
    I hope Russians will always feel free to do the same, and give us the sort of colourful foreign-ised English that Jamaicans, Australians and even our Irish cousins have done for so long. It all adds to the gaiety of nations.
    However, as a result of your comment, I now see that I might be better in future to mis-translate Мясницкая as Meathead Street. How's that for creative abuse of the truth? I just hope that neither Mike nor Bob will report me to the Pope.
    Ian

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ian,
      Thank you for your response. I like very much what you are doing and my short comment aimed to stimulate people to join discussion which might be very interesting. (And thank you for not shooting me to death for mistake I did, as
      of cource I meant Meat street, not Meet street)

      Regards,
      Vasilyevich

      Delete
  3. And thank you for not mentioning my typo: I meant of course "Anglogovoryushnik". I think I will set my next grindhouse thriller in Moscow and call it: "Meet-up on Meat Street with Meatheads Galore". All plot ideas welcome!
    Ian

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    Replies
    1. Thank You for this blog, it is very interesting! But reading this topic and its comments, I'm have to ask something:

      First of all, do You know about "Reply" link that are directly under any comment here? I see, You are answering through "Add comment" editor that are under all comments, instead of using that "Reply" links. This mistake breaks comment's thread :(

      And second: what do You mean by "Anglogovoryushnik"? May be "Anglogovoryuschie", that is mean "English-speaking peoples"?

      Delete
    2. Aah! Thank you. I am new to all this. I'll try to reply correctly from now on.
      And yes, by "Anglogovoryushnik" I mean a person who speaks English, and who lives, thinks and experiences life within the broad confines of the Anglogovoryushosphere.

      Delete
    3. Ok, Thanks.
      By the way, word "Anglogovoryushosphere" are not understandable for me, and seem to be an russian-english hybride. Is it name of any organization?

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    4. No, it's a word I made up to describe the English-speaking world from the point of view of someone who lives in a панельный дворец in Khimki

      Delete
  4. It is very kind of you to let the people from "Khimki" know their place in the English-speaking world. Apart from this mission what keeps you here in Moscow?
    I sincerely believe it is not the money as it the matter with the other expats.
    You, as really sensitive and educated person, must have some other reason to live in such a place which indeed is not a proper place to live for such a refined gentleman as you are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must apologize to you for my previous comment where I missed the irony in your words: since as you had mentioned earlier you were living in "панельный дворец" in Khimki yourself.
      It is definitely my fault of judging you too fast and finding your guilty of pomposity without even reading your blog further then the first page.
      I really hope that I did not hurt your feelings with my unwise remark.

      Delete
    2. Nae bother, pal (as we say in Scotland). Glad you took the time to comment.
      ian

      Delete
  5. Ian, was that Russian gal really Russian? I, as a Russian-speaking, can't find a way to pronounce Черчилль (Churchill) as Sheeshl. May be she was a French?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nope, Russian: настоящая русская. But (and here's the problem) that is the way it sounded to me. If I have one big point in this blog it is the way Russians come across to others is not necessarily what they themselves think they are saying.

    ReplyDelete