NEW TRENDS IN THE MITKI SPEECH CULTURE

Little can be said about new trends in the Mitki vocabulary since it develops so fast that it is impossible to make any predictions.

As we know, the Mitki speech is characterized with extensive usage of diminutive, hypocoristic suffixes in combination with powerful emotional dramatics. The first factor allows to avoid dryness and severity. The second precludes the hypocritical unctuous intonations of an Uriah Heep. <...>

Hypocoristic suffixes appeared in verbs (in ALL verbs, which is unprecedented in any language). It may be easily predicted that soon these suffixes will appear in pronouns, adverbial modifiers and gerunds.

The powerful dramatics of the Mitki speech is achieved by using permanently hysterical intonation, recurrent telling of abstractly pitiful tales (see paragraph "The Mitki and The Tragic") and the specific idea of duty -- transcendental rather than real.

A Mitki-man never fulfills the obligations he gave, which no one expects from him, anyway. Yet, he thinks it is necessary to fulfill the unexpressed desires (love require it - and the Mitki love everybody). Since it is very difficult for other people not only to gratify these desires but merely to figure them out, the resentment of a Mitki-man increases, and so does the dramatics of his speech.

For example, a Mitki-man wakes up with a strong hangover. He feels hot and awful. He wants someone to come and entertain him. But nobody comes, nobody brings him beer. Losing all patience, the Mitki-man calls his friend whom he has chosen as his would-be guest:

"Why are you treating me so? What have I done to you?!"

"What?" A friend is frightened.

"What..." The Mitki-man smiles bitterly. "Oh, well... No, just tell me one thing - what have I done to you? All right, I'm a bastard, a filthy no-good! But why, why do you treat me in such a way? Have I killed or robbed somebody, or what?"

"Mitya? What happened?"

"As if you didn't know..."

"I didn't!"

"So why couldn't you just once - just once in you whole lifetime! -- come to my place and see me?!"