(no subject)

[amoniak.livejournal.com]

Regarding this.
"Старик!/Старуха!" can be used between old good friends - it becomes friendly(spoken, informal). In that case it does not point the age of the person, but the age of relationship. Mainly "старик", though.

Comments

[nugae.livejournal.com]

yea
i agree

[alex-mashin.livejournal.com]

Out of fashion since 1980s.

[amoniak.livejournal.com]

Not completely ^^

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Not exactly, not completely, and not everywhere. I.e. your observation is not universal :)

[atranotte.livejournal.com]

Старик is really widely used, but старуха? Are you sure? :)))

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

I still hear some older chicks (in their 60s) call each other this word. The particular company I am thinking about used to be among the стиляги in 1959/60. So, it is still used, with due limitations though.

[nadha.livejournal.com]

Sometimes "старик/старики" can be used in the meaning of parents. It's a little oldfashioned, too.

[ondrean.livejournal.com]

I think that старуха isn't used at all in this meaning. Старик only, and it's a bit old-fashioned.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

You think so, but still, it is used :) The usage of a word cannot be reduced to just teenage usage. Some people from older generations still use it.

[ondrean.livejournal.com]

Maybe, maybe. But the last time I've heard it is in 1995, and no more since that time. And I communicate a lot with people from older generations.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Well, I've heard it last week. Now what? ;-)

[ondrean.livejournal.com]

Maybe. I only say that I haven't heard it for a long time.
And - frankly - I think that ladies don't like when one calls them старуха. Insinuations on their age and beauty, ehm.:)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Depends on, what ladies. The company I hear it all the time, are the ex- late 1950s/early 1960s stilyagi. They used to call each other this word when they were 16 :)

[ondrean.livejournal.com]

Maybe. My company is much younger:) and all old people I know are my University teachers.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Well, we are all destined to hang out with old people when we get old ourselves.

[ondrean.livejournal.com]

That's true, hm.(

[dmitry-oo.livejournal.com]

старик is informal between good friends
though I don't hear it often, it's still in use
старуха isn't used in this meaning and is translated literally as "an old woman" but it has a slightly negative sence and sounds a bit rude
that should be correct as i'm a native russian speaker ;)

[dmitry-oo.livejournal.com]

ps: wolk_off is right about using старуха between old women, but then it's ironical