notes on the margins...

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

the similarity between the english obey and the russian убей is sooo symbolic...

убей = oobey, meaning "kill"

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

First of all, I don't see any similarity. Second, I fail to understand how it would be symbolic if it were true. Could you please do me a favour and explain?

[insaint.livejournal.com]

I think he means the similarity in pronunciation.

As for symbolism, I'm with you there. I fail to see any symbolism - well, I sort of can, but I think it's irrelevant enough to be lame.

[oryx_and_crake]

I don't see any similarity in pronounciation either. A distant likeness, maybe. Russian "самшит" and English "some shit" are much more like each other (and this at least is funny).

[insaint.livejournal.com]

True enough.

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

а че такое самшит?)

[dimon37.livejournal.com]

Вuxus sempervirens is the latin name, could nto find english name for it. It's plant. Tree.

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

aw, see, thank you.
век живи...

[dimon37.livejournal.com]

according to www.lingvo.ru, it's box-tree

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

like hell i knew what the box-tree was anyway...

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

similarity in the sound? obey sounds the same as убей, anyone?
both obey and убей are verbs in an imperative from.
one can follow another "Obey, kill!"
symbol of anything you like, f.instance the fatalist mentality of an average human being, which is a common sense regardless the language background...

[oryx_and_crake]

"symbol of anything you like" - which means, of nothing at all.

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

no sir, it means you can interprete it in different ways)
feeling special today?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Oh, come on, let me do that. It's always old wolk_off who does the dirty job. My good guess is that it's time for you to stop this flood. Any objections?

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

sold! i was just sharing thoughts, man, and having thoughts and being able to back them up with arguments, isnt it just wonderful?)
and, of course, to get a comment from YOU sir, was worth the battle. if you pardon my liberties...

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Anyway, I was under a serious impression that this was not a place for idle talk. This is a community for helping people learn Russian - no more, no less.
You have a warning, though I usually don't warn. More flood means ban.

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

no shit! got that.

[oryx_and_crake]

"It's always old wolk_off who does the dirty job."

Little do you know. When I shoot'em, I kill'em and no one is the wiser.

;-)

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

I know the ethimology, i am russian alright. i just find it symbolic that such significant words for both of the languages do sound so similiar.

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

it's all related!)

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

but isnt it ahaVa?

[gjertsen.livejournal.com]

well there are a lot of vague simmilarities between russian verbs and english words and expressions and they can be useful for remembering, but they're hardly symbolic, as they are almost always a coicidence.
For instance:
КИПЯТИТЬ (to boil) sounds a bit like "keep it heat"
ШИТЬ (to sew) sounds a lot like "sheet" which is something you would sew (or "shit" said with a russian accent...)
These connections are totally coincidental and although I often notice them, it's only to help me remember the verb.
So now I have a way to remember убей...;)

[spokojnik.livejournal.com]

see, people? there we got a reasoning...