some random translations

[im-such-a-slav.livejournal.com]

so i have been translating some jokes and i have a few questions:

У меня дpяблые бедpа.
I understand this to mean "I have sluggish hips." Is this a common way of saying, "I'm tired?" is there any connotations to this phrase?

Ты меня слyшаешь?!
My question here is about the "?!" is this a missprint? If not would it mean dubious, like in chess, or is that just wishful thinking?

also what does "Пчеловечность" mean?
I assume it has something to do with bees, but it isn't in my dictionary and i cant find a definition online.

thanks.

Comments

[grosman.livejournal.com]

1. No, it doesn't mean "I'm tired" in Russian, it has just one literal meaning
2. In Russian combination ?! means a loud, maybe angry question.
3. It's a wordplay between пчелы and человечность - humaneness. There is an album of Russian band Rowan Tower with that name, and I think this is the only one occurrence of this word in Russian :)

[oryx_and_crake]

Actually, "?!" is an expression of (sometimes angry) surprise. But these days people just don't know their punctuation marks.

[scriabingirl.livejournal.com]

No, I think that in this case it's more of an angry question. Like, 'are you listening to me at all!?'...

[oryx_and_crake]

As I said, these days people just don't know their grammar (including punctuation usage).

[alexander-p.livejournal.com]

and I think this is the only one occurrence of this word in Russian

There is another example of this wordplay. In "Sofia's garden", a mystic story written by Vladimir Mikushevich, the members of a meeting in that garden whispered to each other a verse:

С душою душа даже в небе цела,
И кто бы, неведомый, нас не рассек,
В раю человек человеку - пчела,
И ты человек, если ты пчеловек.

And in the end of the story:

«... теперь я понял: произошла морфологическая катастрофа, когда выпало начальное "п" и пчеловек оказался человеком. Вот что рассекло нас, и мы вымираем порознь, пока человество - не пчеловечество».

[oryx_and_crake]

"I have sluggish hips."

No, it means flabby or saggy hips. Not sluggish.

[laertid.livejournal.com]

а) no, there's no such connotation
b) no, it's not a misprint, the speaker is trying to show he(she) is getting irritated or angry by the fact that the other person is actually not listening to him (her)
c) it's a word-play based on the "word-stitchig": пЧЕЛа and ЧЕЛовечность

smth like this

[lenny-goofoff.livejournal.com]

HUMMManity

[dvd-long.livejournal.com]

>> also what does "Пчеловечность" mean?

this word describes the eternity of bees

[ex-supergari465.livejournal.com]

Пчеловечность - is't russian word

[vedma.livejournal.com]

2. is a questioning statment.
thought it was the same in english, i allways use it and no one has ever said anything yet about it :)

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

I've seen it plenty in English. I even use it myself.

[alamar.livejournal.com]

I would say that 3) indeed have more with bee eternity (пчело-вечность) than with bee humanity.

That's because that Rowan Tower's song have got somewhat metaphysical lyrics, while it have nothing to do with humanity.

P.S. Correct me oh you Rowan Tower fans if I'm wrong.