What is maybe?This mysterious word is not translated into any language of the world. But the Russian people do not cease to believe in him throughout the history of its existence. Maybe Avos is some ancient pagan deity, promising success in business and success in any undertakings? It was not for nothing that F. M. Dostoevsky, through the lips of the hero of one of his novels, asserted that our maybe was a great thing.
Historical roots of Russian "avos"
Лингвисты не перестают спорить, какой частью речи is that word. V.I. Dahl believed that perhaps it was an adverb that formed from the combination of the first letters of the phrase "but now." Today, linguists refer “maybe” to an intensifying particle, an introductory word, and in some well-established expressions the ubiquitous word takes the form of a noun. For example, in the proverb, "Perhaps he will not bring good" and "Perhaps the advance does not give."
According to the expert of Russian literature ValeryMokienko, initially the word “Avose” was indicative: “but now something will happen.” Over time, the vowel sound in the ending was lost, and the meaning of the word “maybe” acquired the meaning of “if”, “suddenly”. By the 17th century, in colloquial speech, it was used as “may be,” “probably,” “God willing.” This tendency is clearly seen in such expressions: “perhaps we'll meet again” or “perhaps the matter will be settled”. That is, the speaker suggests that some event will occur by itself, without the application of special effort. Thus, the phrase "hope for the best" takes the meaning "to rely on fate, to trust the occasion."
Mysterious word in history and literature
Surely many people know the rock opera “Juno andAvos ", created by composer Alexei Rybnikov on the libretto by Andrei Voznesensky. The work tells the story of the love of Russian Count Rezanov and a young Spanish girl named Conchita. Such a fact actually took place in history. Having distracted from the romantic side of the plot, let us turn to the practical background, that is, we will try to understand what Juno and Avos are.
It happened in 1806.The chamberlain of the imperial court, Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, in order to deliver provisions to the Russian settlers of the American continent, equipped two naval vessels, one of which was called “Juno” after the ancient Roman goddess. It would be logical to assume that the second frigate was named after some deity.
However, on this score there is a more prosaicversion. The fact is that the "Yunon" graph was purchased from an American industrialist, and the ship already had a name. The second ship was built urgently, and at the time of its launching, one of the onlookers on the shore, having doubted the strength of the new sailing ship, expressed doubt: “But will it not collapse?” will swim. " So the one-mas tender got its name. It turns out that here, too, “chance” is not a deity at all, but hope for a successful outcome of events.
Faith in luck and hope in God's providence
Proverbs and sayings that mention thisthe word is often ironic or reprehensible: "I hoped for the chance - and the case fell apart" or "Perhaps it may be - siblings, both lie down."
Therefore, we can not say that the notorious wordis a particle of the broad Russian soul. So good or bad hope at random? Based on the meaning of the above proverbs, popular wisdom does not really encourage this behavior, considers it a sign of laziness, sloppiness, short-sightedness.
Although sometimes this word serves as an incentive toto action, call not to be afraid of difficulties, to believe that everything will end well: “Perhaps we will break through, don’t drift, we won’t be lost!” . Although another well-known proverb suppresses this impulse: “Hope for God, but do not commit it yourself”.
Why bag is called mesh bag
Another generation of “avos” - wicker made of durablethe purses, which in Soviet times were in almost every home and used to carry food and other store-bought goods. Connoisseurs claim that this compact thing, when folded easily into a pocket, could withstand a weight of up to 70 kilograms.
More often it was called simply a net, but thanks tothe reprise of the famous satirist Arkady Raikin, she received a second name. “And this, comrades, is a string bag! And I'll bring something in it! ”- the great master of the artistic word cheered the audience, walking around the stage with an empty bag. The funny name was pleasant, it came out to the people and became a household name for useful things in everyday life.
