Hello from Gary;
Only rarely, except for the Bible, do I read a book more than once. But I just recently re-read, after 30 + years, Leo Tolstoy’s “War And Peace”. WOW! What a masterpiece of literature. In re-reading it I came across a topic you may be confused about in your quest for a Russian bride. The topic is Russian women’s names.
Specifically, the topic is about the use of diminutives in people’s names.
You can read here on Wikipedia all about diminutives.
And from that many faceted discussion, our topic here is about the many name suffixes used in Russian to denote specific degrees of affection.
It’s an important topic because in Russian culture, name diminutives carry more significance than here in the West. For example, the name “James” in Western culture is the formal version of a name, whereas “Jim” is a more “familiar” version of the name. But “Jimmy” is used, not necessarily with affection, but definitely with a strong sense off familiarity. So here we have “Jim” and Jimmy” the diminutive forms of the name “James.”
But in Russian, the diminutive forms imply more than familiarity. They imply a degree of affection.
For example, the Russian woman’s name “Marya” could be expressed as “Maria”, meaning “dear friend”, or it could be expressed as “Masha” meaning “dearest one.” And there are several gradients of this that define just how and how dear “Masha” is to the person addressing her.
So how does this affect you, the man looking for a Russian bride?
It affects you in 3 ways.
First, your chosen Lady may “spring” a new name on you by which she prefers to be called.
And second, she may start calling YOU by a different name, obviously derived from your given name but containing a distinctly Russian “twist” to it. Don’t be insulted - - it’s a compliment and a declaration of affection.
So be ready for this. Poke around on the “net” and learn about her names as well as your own hopefully soon to be designated name.
The third way this diminutive name concept may affect you is that some women, for a variety of reasons, may prefer to be known by a diminutive name form - - (just like you may prefer to be referred to as “Bob” instead of “Robert”).
Thus, if you’re browsing women’s profiles on a marriage agency site, a woman’s profile name may NOT actually be her birth name. Her agency profile name may actually be her chosen “nickname” or a diminutive of her real name.
This is important to understand because her stated name is her statement of personal and cultural identity.
Following is an example of this.
Read her profile and view her other (amazing) pics on the A Foreign Affair site.
CLICK HERE For A Foreign Affair home page
Then select “search” at top of page.
Then enter “122315″ in I.D. fields at bottom of search page.
This woman’s profile name is “Lena”. But in Russian, “Lena” is a diminutive (close or dear) for “Ylena” or “Elena”. So what’s her name - - Ylena or Elena? And what is the “most Dearest” form of her name? Hint #1. It’s on the “net.” Hint #2. If you ask her in the right way, she’ll tell you - - after a while.
Men, don’t let all this Russian women’s names stuff intimidate you. Just recognize that we’re talking about cultural differences. If you take the time and effort to find out about this stuff and relate to it with respect, your efforts will be appreciated and rewarded. So take heart. The mystery, strength, and beauty of these women goes far beyond the subtleties of a name however culturally important her name is. Just be forever conscious that whenever you speak to her, the most powerful force in the universe is the spoken word.
Wishing all the best for you,
Gary.
P,S. If you want to marry a Russian woman, you have to meet her first.
Check out these pages on our site to find out how.
>CLICK HERE For Our A Foreign Affair Review
>CLICK HERE for our Marriage Agency Strategy.
>Click Here for our Review Elenas Models
