why did they use to add an “S” at the end?.
why did they use to add an “S” at the end?
The speech of the characters of the films about life in Russia a century or more ago looks a little strange. People seem to speak in a language we understand, but they continually add the “s” to words. Certainly, it attracts attention, all that: “Whatever you want”, “I’ll do it”, “I’ll do it”, “of course”. But in the 19th century this use of words was quite natural. And although the habit has disappeared, its memory remains. And here it is explained why people said so, and what this particle meant in general, we will tell you.
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The particle is not simple, it even has a name, the worm. It is usually added to verbs or nouns. And the particle got its name not without the help of the Slavic alphabet. There the letters have their own names: az, buki, vedi… The letter “S” was called “word”. If the first part of the name is clear, where does the “er” come from? And it is quite understandable. In pre-revolutionary Russia the letter “s” was not only pronounced at the end of the word, but also written there, also with a hard sign at the end: “Hey, hey.” And the hard sign had its own name in the alphabet: the same “yer.” Thus, the combination of the letters «s» and «ъ» with their names formed the already forgotten «slovoer».
Having learned the name of this item, let’s find out what it was used for in the first place. It is very simple, this letter added to the end of the word is an abbreviation of “sir”, “sir” or “sirinya”. The phrase “I obey you” literally means “I obey you, sir” or “I obey you, ma’am.” Other words were similarly abbreviated: “Your Excellency his” was pronounced much more compactly as “Vayshestvo” and “Your Honor his” as “Your Honour.”
The slovoer was used when the interlocutor needed to show his reverence or respect, gallantry. The “s” was pronounced with particular frequency at receptions and celebrations with a large number of distinguished guests. Serfs also used the verb when addressing their masters. It was also a way of expressing respect for their status.
After the revolution, the bourgeois leaderships were abolished, and along with them the slovoer disappeared. Today, we only see it in old books and movies about that time. But even the slovoer sometimes slips into the conversation, but only ironically, as a subtle mockery. In this way, the interlocutor underlines the ephemeral importance of the other party, who tries in vain to appear as that important “gentleman”.
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