???????»?µ???????? ?????±?°???°: lowest of the low
In the heat and confusion of events, a politician sends a sharply worded tweet. Public outrage ensues. His aides clarify, only making things worse. The politician says he didn't mean what critics say he meant, and then says he didn't write the tweet at all.
This would hardly catch my eye — it happens every day in the United States ?€” but this particular Twitter incident occurred in Russia, and the tweet concerned an American. One of the politician's colleagues said, "???‹ ???‡???‚?°?µ??, ?‡?‚?? ???‚?? ???€?????·?????»?? ???·-?·?° ???»???…?????? ?·???°?????? ?°???µ?€?????°???†?°???? ?????µ?… ?????°???????? ?€?????????????? ???·?‹???°" (We believe this happened because the Americans had a bad understanding of all the nuances of the Russian language). I'm always interested in nuances Americans don't understand.
The purported author was Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, and the alleged tweet was this: ?????µ?€?????°???????????? ???????»?° ?? ?›???????? ?€?°?????‚?€?µ?»???»?? ???°?? ???????»?µ???????? ?????±?°????. ??‚?? ?±?‹?» ???»?°?????‹?? ?????µ?†???°?»?????‚ ???? ?»???????????????? «?€?µ?????»???†????». ???? ?????»???‡???» ?‚??, ?‡?‚?? ???????µ???». (The U.S. ambassador to Libya was shot like the lowest dog. He was the main specialist on the Libyan "revolution." He reaped what he sowed.)
Zyuganov and his aides insisted the phrase ?€?°?????‚?€?µ?»???‚?? ???°?? ?????±?°???? (to shoot like a dog) means ?±?µ?· ?????¶?°?»?µ?????? ?€?°?????‚?€?µ?»???»??, ?±?µ?????°?€?????????? ?€?°?????‚?€?µ?»???»?? (to shoot someone without mercy, to shoot someone brazenly). This phrase, they said, condemns the executioners, not the executed.
This is the nuance Americans supposedly didn't get. But English has the exact same expression ?€” to shoot someone like a dog ?€” which, exactly like the Russian, is a comment on the way someone was treated.
So what's the problem? Well, at least part of the problem is the word ???????»?µ???????? (last), a word left out of all the convoluted and contradictory explanations.
???????»?µ???????? generally isn't a problematic word. It means the last something, like ???????»?µ???????? ???µ???? ???µ?????†?° (last day of the month), or ?? ?¶?????? ???° ???????»?µ?????µ?? ???‚?°?¶?µ (I live on the last floor). Like in English, it can refer to an action done just before death, like ???????»?µ???????? ???·?????… ???????€?°???‰?µ???? (a dying person's last breath). Sometimes it can mean the very newest of the new, like ???????»?µ???????? ???????????‚?? (latest news) or ???????»?µ???????? ???????° (the latest style).
And then it can be an intensifier that means the worst in a bad series, like ???????»?µ???????? ?????€?°?? (the stupidest idiot), or ???????»?µ???????? ???µ?????????? (the worst scumbag) ?€” or ???????»?µ???????? ?????±?°???° (a lowly dog, the lowest of the low).
Calling someone ???????»?µ???????? ?????±?°???° is a strong insult. ??‚?? ???°???°?? ?‡?‚?? ???? ???° ?µ???‚?? ?°???°?„?µ???°: ?‚?‹ ?…???¶?µ ???????»?µ?????µ?? ?????±?°???? (That is the worst kind of anathema: You're worse than the lowest dog). ?›???‡???µ ?±?‹?‚?? ???????»?µ?????µ?? ?????±?°?????? ???????°, ?‡?µ?? ?? ???°???µ?? ?????µ?€?????µ (It's better to be the lowest of the low at home than to live in your America.)
On the other hand, in examples where someone was treated like ???????»?µ???????? ?????±?°???°, the phrase clearly condemns the treatment. ?‘?€???????»?? ???°?? ?? ?°???€???????€?‚?? ???°?? ???????»?µ???????… ?????±?°?? (We were dumped at the airport as if we were a pack of street dogs). ???° ???????€?????°?… ?±???»?? ???°?? ???????»?µ???????… ?????±?°?? (At interrogations they beat us like dogs.)
But if there is any ambiguity about the first sentence, the tweet resolves it with the last sentence: ?????»???‡???» ?‚??, ?‡?‚?? ???????µ???» (usually ?‡?‚?? ???????µ???», ?‚?? ?? ?????¶???‘???? ?€” as ye sow, so shall ye reap). He got what he deserved.
It's no wonder there was such a scramble to explain, clarify, translate and blame. Outrageous.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.
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