Russian letter writing

[kasak.livejournal.com]

A quick question:

I understand that in Russian, use of someone's first name followed by the patronymic is often used in the way Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. is used followed by the last name in English. What happens, however, when the patronymic of the person to whom one is writing is unknown?

Уважаемая Госпожа Т?

That doesn't quite sound right... Help?

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

Well, you have to ask for one's patronymic before you can write, same as when writing in English you would ask whether the addressee is a Mr. or a Ms. Presumably when this person gave you his/her card/address he/she also gave you the full name (with patronymic).
You can, however, write using the first name only (e.g. Уважаемая Тамара!) but this is not very formal and is a calque from Western business correspondence style. (You don't use "господин, госпожа" with first name only, it sounds incongruous.)

[dair-spb.livejournal.com]

> (You don't use "господин, госпожа" with first name only, it sounds incongruous.)

You don't use "господин, госпожа" with first name AND patronymic as well :-)

Only with last name.

[oryx_and_crake]

That's right.

[yms.livejournal.com]

"Уважаемая Тамара (извините, не знаю Вашего отчества)!"

[mymus.livejournal.com]

Never write that in a business letter.

[alon_68]

+1

[yms.livejournal.com]

I'm agree, it's rude.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Things have changed a bit during the last decade, so it's OK to use just the first name in a business letter now (уважаемая Ольга, уважаемый Андрей etc.) -- at least in the industry I work in (mass media / Web,) everybody does so.

[alon_68]

If you should write some formal letter to somebody in Russian, it's quite OK to use his/her last name only, e.g. Уважаемый г-н Макаров, Уважаемая г-жа Петрова. Using the given name without patronymic in such situation is hardly acceptable and can be regarded as impolite.

[ja-va.livejournal.com]

absolutely right.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Things have changed a bit during the last decade, so it's OK to use just the first name in a business letter now (уважаемая Ольга, уважаемый Андрей etc.) -- at least in the industry I work in (mass media / Web,) everybody does so.

[alon_68]

I guess that because this is relatively new area, the standards are defined mostly by young and Western-oriented people here. But it's not the case for the traditional industry, is it? Anyway, I wouldn't suggest such style before some prior acknowledgment that it's acceptable for the very person.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

It's not the Web FOR mass media, it's mass media AND the Web, sorry I didn't state it clear. Mass media a relatively new area in Russia? You gotta be kidding.

[alon_68]

OK, I didn't understand it well. You mean, not only in Web media, even in the Soviet-time established papers, magazines etc? Is it right even for more mature and solid people, like Soviet-time editors?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

There is no such thing as the Soviet-time established magazines or papers anymore (Izvestia, Ogonyok etc. are, unfortunately, just brand names now, they have nothing to do with traditions of the previous owners of their brands, and I know nobody who keeps working there after multiple changes of ownership and management,) otherwise it is so. When I started to work in the media field in 1987, the older cats in the editorial staff were just calling each other by first name.

[alon_68]

...There is no such thing as the Soviet-time established magazines or papers anymore...

If so, my words about "new area" are not so senseless, even speaking about the traditional mass media :)

...older cats in the editorial staff were just calling each other by first name...

I can easily imagine it about "each other". But I doubt they used to accept such calling from young or outside people.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

>If so, my words about "new area" are not so senseless, even speaking about the traditional mass media :)

Well, people who used to work to media have not disappeared, they have just changed their jobs.

>I doubt they used to accept such calling from young or outside people

In fact, they encouraged us to do so.

[alon_68]

Even so? Very interesting!

[ashalynd.livejournal.com]

I think that Уважаемый г-н Петров, Уважаемая г-жа Петрова is still a safe bet, isn't it?.. Although it sounds drier and less personal than Уважаемый Иван Васильевич.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. The only thing I am trying to say is that using the first name only is now more acceptable than it once was, but of course it does not cancel the other, more traditional forms.

[mushrooming.livejournal.com]

госопжа петрова, госопдин иванов
but i think it isn't actual for nowdays.

now unacquainted people call each oter девушка(young woman or girl), молодой человек(guy), женщина(woman)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

>госопжа петрова, госопдин иванов

oh my, is this Russian?:)))))

>but i think it isn't actual for nowdays.

Why??????

>now unacquainted people call each oter девушка

We were asked about how we write a formal letter. Can you imagine yourself writing a letter to an official person or to a business partner starting with "Девушка Ольга" or "Женщина Иванова"? :))

[mushrooming.livejournal.com]

oh, sorry..

and about девушка and oter...I said about chatting

[kasak.livejournal.com]

Thank you all for your input. You've all been very helpful.

Спасибо большое всем!