Subject
potustoronnost' (responses to query)
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I've glanced back, after chopping wood for two hours, and failed to see a
response to Carolyn's query. Until the Russian experts step in with the
correct solution, and in lieu of an appropriate etymological dictionary, I
can only phile my own vague impression on the poty in Потусторонний: Given
that the compound word is suggestive of the indo-european concept of the
'otherworld' it made me think while sawing away that the 'poty' looks like a
slavonic reflex of Avestan 'paiti' i.e., 'against, near by' which we see in
Homeric Greek 'poti' i.e. ' against, towards', equivalent to 'pros/proti'
(which is cognate with Slavonic 'protivu', though from a different root).
Were that the case, then it would mean something like aldilà, au-delà,
Jenseits, perhaps indeed a calque on the last (cf.Seite/storonà). But
nescient guesswork almost invariably falsefoots the etymological truth of
words.
Peter Dale
---------------
In my opinion (without checking details in literature), "potustoronnost'" derives directly from "po tu storonu" which means exactly "on the other side" [as in "po tu storonu reki/gor" = "On the other side of the river/mountains"].
By the way, "potustoronnost" as a noun is a bookish, literary word and is hardly used.
Much more common is the adjective, "potustoronnij" (belonging to the other side, otherworldly), which is used for any supernatural, occult phenomena (ghosts and such), directly or metaphirically. It is clearly pagan (pre-Christian) by origin and could be related to ancient death-river-crossing image.
This word is never used in its direct, geographic meaning, i.e. a village located on the other side of the river cannot be called "potustoronnyaya derevnya" but only "derevnya po tu storonu [reki]", in latter the occult meaning virtually non-existent while in former it is extremely strong but also could be metaphoric (as in "a ghostly village").
Victor Fet
----------------
> Does it derive from "po tu storonu"
Exactly so.
>and how would that translate into English?
Otherworldliness
> Is it derived from some expression from which the verb [the russian
equivalent of "to pass over"?] has been elided?
No. "To pass over" is "perei'ti" in Russian.
- George
----------------
A reply for Carolyn:
Even though it is not totally literal, "otherworldliness" seemed pretty
good to my Mother and me.
Best,
Dmitri
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response to Carolyn's query. Until the Russian experts step in with the
correct solution, and in lieu of an appropriate etymological dictionary, I
can only phile my own vague impression on the poty in Потусторонний: Given
that the compound word is suggestive of the indo-european concept of the
'otherworld' it made me think while sawing away that the 'poty' looks like a
slavonic reflex of Avestan 'paiti' i.e., 'against, near by' which we see in
Homeric Greek 'poti' i.e. ' against, towards', equivalent to 'pros/proti'
(which is cognate with Slavonic 'protivu', though from a different root).
Were that the case, then it would mean something like aldilà, au-delà,
Jenseits, perhaps indeed a calque on the last (cf.Seite/storonà). But
nescient guesswork almost invariably falsefoots the etymological truth of
words.
Peter Dale
---------------
In my opinion (without checking details in literature), "potustoronnost'" derives directly from "po tu storonu" which means exactly "on the other side" [as in "po tu storonu reki/gor" = "On the other side of the river/mountains"].
By the way, "potustoronnost" as a noun is a bookish, literary word and is hardly used.
Much more common is the adjective, "potustoronnij" (belonging to the other side, otherworldly), which is used for any supernatural, occult phenomena (ghosts and such), directly or metaphirically. It is clearly pagan (pre-Christian) by origin and could be related to ancient death-river-crossing image.
This word is never used in its direct, geographic meaning, i.e. a village located on the other side of the river cannot be called "potustoronnyaya derevnya" but only "derevnya po tu storonu [reki]", in latter the occult meaning virtually non-existent while in former it is extremely strong but also could be metaphoric (as in "a ghostly village").
Victor Fet
----------------
> Does it derive from "po tu storonu"
Exactly so.
>and how would that translate into English?
Otherworldliness
> Is it derived from some expression from which the verb [the russian
equivalent of "to pass over"?] has been elided?
No. "To pass over" is "perei'ti" in Russian.
- George
----------------
A reply for Carolyn:
Even though it is not totally literal, "otherworldliness" seemed pretty
good to my Mother and me.
Best,
Dmitri
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm