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Mat (Template:Lang-ru, matershchina / materny yazyk / matny yazyk; Template:Lang-uk, matyuky) is the term for strong obscene profanity in Russian and some other Slavic language communities.
History and use
Obscenities are among the earliest recorded attestations of the Russian language (the first written mat words date to the Middle Ages). It was first introduced into literature in the 18th century by the poet Ivan Barkov, whose poetry, combining lofty lyrics with brutally obscene words, may be regarded as a forerunner of Russian literary parody.
The use of mat is widespread, especially in the army, the criminal world, and many other all-male milieus.
A detailed article by Victor Erofeyev (translated by Andrew Bromfeld) analyzing the history, overtones, and sociology of mat appeared in the 15 September 2003 issue of The New Yorker.
In modern Russia, the use of mat is censored in the media and the use of mat in public constitutes a form of disorderly conduct, or mild hooliganism, punishable under article 20.1.1 of the Offences Code of Russia, although it is enforced only episodically, in particular due to the vagueness of the legal definition. Despite the public ban, mat is used by Russians of all ages and nearly all social groups, with particular fervor in the male-dominated military and the structurally similar social strata. However, it is considered highly uncultured and very offensive in certain social circles in Russia, especially if women are present.
Key words and expressions
The first volume of the Great Dictionary of Mat by the Russian linguist and folklorist Alexei Plutser-Sarno treats only expressions with the stem хуй (khuy), numbering over 500 entries; 12 volumes are planned.
The key elements of mat are:
- хуй (khuy; хуй) — penis, or for equivalent colloquial effect, dick. The etymology of the term is unclear. Mainstream theories include: from Proto-Indo European (PIE) *ks-u-, related to хвоя (khvoya, "pine needles"), attributed to Pederson, 1908.; from PIE *hau-, related to хвост (khvost, "tail"), attributed to Merlingen, 1955; from Mongolian хуй (khui, meaning "sheath" or "scabbard"). This was the etymology endorsed by the Soviet government and attributed to Maxim Gorky, who claimed it was a loan word, imposed during Mongol yoke. A Gorokhovski suggests the derivation from Latin huic (lit. "for that", used on prescriptions for genital diseases) as a euphemism, because the old Russian "ud/uda" (from PIE root *ud- meaning "up, out") became taboo in mid-18th century.
Mat and humor
A type of humor/puns is to juxtapose innocent words so that the result will sound as if an obscene word was used. An example is a Cossack song cited in And Quiet Flows the Don (1928-1940) by Mikhail Sholokhov:
- Щуку я, щуку я, щуку я поймала.
- Девица красная, уху я варила.
- Уху я, уху я, уху я варила.
Here "Уху я варила" ("I cooked the fish stew") may be reinterpreted as "У хуя варила" ("Cooked near the penis") or "Ух, хуй я варила" ("Ooh, I cooked a dick"). See Russian joke: Taboo vocabulary for more.
See also
Notes
- Obscene lexics in birch bark documents
- (Russian)
- Template:Ru icon Article 20.1 of the Offences code 08.12.2003 edition "нарушение общественного порядка, выражающее явное неуважение к обществу, сопровождающееся нецензурной бранью в общественных местах ... влечет наложение административного штрафа в размере от пятисот до одной тысячи рублей или административный арест на срок до пятнадцати суток" (disorderly conduct displaying explicit disrespect to society, accompanied by obscene language in public ... is punishable by a fine from 500 to 1000 rubles or arrest up to 15 days)
- Template:Ru icon Задержанных на юго-востоке Москвы хулиганов оштрафуют за мат (Detained in south-east Moscow, the hooligans will pay fines for mat) at Lenta.Ru, 01-23-2008
- Template:Ru icon Министерство связи определит понятие нецензурной речи (Department of communications will define "obscene language") at Lenta.Ru, 06-24-2009
- Template:En icon Mikhailin, Vadim (2004-09-29). "Russian Army Mat as a Code System Controlling Behaviour in the Russian army". The Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies. 2004 (1). Retrieved 07-01-2009.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - "ЗАПРЕЩЕННЫЙ КЛАССИК"
External links
- Русский мат с Алексеем Плуцером-Сарно - The online version of the Dictionary of Russian mat by Alexei Plutser-Sarno Template:Ru icon
- Russian slang explained in English, French and German
- Cited portions of a The New Yorker article.
- The unique power of Russia’s underground language Full text of the New Yorker article.
- Mikhailin, Vadim, 2004, Essay: Russian Army Mat as a Code System Controlling Behaviour in the Russian army, The Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies
- 'Dead Man's Bluff' by Mikhail Volokhov. Director Andrei Zhitinkin. First play in Russia to be written entirely in profanities. Productions of this play have always been surrounded by controversy: in Russia by Andrei Zhitinkin, with actors Oleg Fomin and Sergei Chonishvili; in France by Bernard Sobel with actors Denis Lavant and Hugues Quester; in Germany and Switzerland the parts were played in French and German by Armin Rohde and Roberto Guerra.
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