Do Russians still use patronymic names?
The patronymic (otchestvo) part of a Russian person’s name is derived from the father’s first name and usually serves as a middle name for Russians. Patronymics are used in both formal and informal speech. Students always address their professors with the first name and patronymic; colleagues at an office do the same.
Why do characters in Russian novels have so many names?
Hence, it appears that a person has multiple names since the author often uses the multiple variations of the same name during articulation. e.g. from Dostoevsky’s novels; “Alexei was upset since morning. He decided going to the local market and meeting up with his brother.
Why do characters have different names in crime and punishment?
The first barrier to reading Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is the names. There are way too many names, and the names have way too many syllables. Thus Rodion’s middle name is Romanovich, whereas his sister’s middle name is Romanovna. The main characters have two or three nicknames.
What is the origin of the Russian patronymic?
The Russian patronymic is derived from the father’s first name to identify the child. For example, the writer Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s name at birth was Lev Tolstoy. The “Nikolayevich” part comes from the fact that his father’s first name was Nikolai.
How do you use patronymics in writing?
Patronymics are used in both formal and informal speech. Students always address their professors with the first name and patronymic; colleagues at an office do the same. Patronymics also appear on official documents, like passports, just like your middle name does. The patronymic carries a different ending depending upon the gender of the person.
How do you make patronimics in Russian?
To form a patronimic you normally need to add the suffix -ович/-евич (son of) for males and -овна/-евна (daughter of) for females. For example, if Anatoly’s father is Viktor, he will be called Анатолий Викторович.
What is Avdotya Raskolnikova’s patronymic?
Her full name is Avdotya Romanovna (Roman + ovna) Raskolnikova. However, Rodion and Avdotya’s mother, Pulkheria Raskolnikova, uses the name of her father to form her patronymic, Alexandrovna (Alexander + ovna ). Below are some more examples of patronymics.