Is it possible to say the last time. Why do people say "extreme" instead of "last"? How to speak without offending anyone

From the question received by the “Information Bureau” of GRAMOTY.RU:“... I was sharply corrected when I asked “who is the last” (in line), they said that it is not customary to say this in Russian, but “who is extreme” should be.

Actually: Everything is just the opposite. It is wrong to ask in the queue "who is the last one?" (need “who is the last one?”); it is not worthwhile, inviting the guest to sit down, to say “sit down” (competently “sit down”).

It is not by chance that we combined these two myths into one: replacement and last on the extreme, And sit down on the sit down due to the same factor. What? More on that below.

Let's start with the expression "who is the last." The myth about the inadmissibility of its use has a long history. Half a century ago, L. V. Uspensky drew attention to this prejudice in the book “A Word about Words”:

Thousands of people say: “Who is the last one here?”, Coming to the line for newspapers ... This word usage cannot be recognized as correct and literary. If to the question: “Which carriage are you traveling in?” you will answer: “In the extreme!”, you will immediately be required to explain: from the beginning or from the end of the train, in the first or in the last? Each row of objects has at least two edges, and the word “extreme” began to be used here due to an absurd misunderstanding, because the usual word “last” in some dialects of folk speech is given a disapproving meaning - “bad”, “good for nothing”: “You are the last my brother, man!"(Uspensky L.V. A word about words. You and your name. L., 1962. P. 210).

The reason for using the adjective in the expression under consideration extreme instead of last named L.V. Uspensky quite right. Indeed, the word last has a negative connotation meaning "the lowest in the series of similar, the most insignificant of all; very bad": the last villain, like the last fool, to scold with the last words. Fearing to call the person last in line, the speaker thus avoids hinting at this particular meaning.

But the word last, like many other words of the Russian language, is multi-valued, among its meanings there are those that do not have any negative connotations: "the newest"; "modern"; "just appeared": latest technology, latest news, build with the latest technology And so on. Nevertheless, in our days, as well as half a century ago (despite the fact that there are fewer queues), the myth about the inadmissibility of the question “who is the last one?” continues to be remarkably resilient. An interesting fact: after all, the word extreme there is also a meaning that has a negative connotation; in live colloquial and journalistic speech, this adjective is sometimes used in the meaning of ‘a person who has been blamed for something bad’: extreme made the official who signed the document(gas.). Still addicting extreme instead of last this does not interfere: apparently, calling a person “guilty without guilt” seems to be a lesser evil than calling him “worse”.

For another reason why the question “who is extreme?” can be more offensive than “who is the last one?”, V. V. Kolesov points out:

“Standing in line, a person greets those who will be his neighbor for some time ... True, a respectful wish of health in this case is not entirely appropriate, which is why such a combination arose: “Are you the last one? Who is last?" It is not clear why it can offend someone, because asking: "Who is the last one?" - one wants to know on the trail whom he has to pass. And it is true that in such an expression the original meaning of the word is preserved last - the one who follows the trail, the one who paves the path following him, or the one who himself follows others .... On the contrary, asking: "Who is the last one?" - you offend a person because, firstly, you do not speak Russian (in Russian there is no such meaning of the word extreme : it came from Ukrainian), and secondly, as if you remove him from the queue, assuring him that he is “on the edge”, away from the row and therefore generally violates order. One who believes that the word extreme more polite than last is wrong."(See: Kolesov V.V. Culture of speech - culture of behavior. L., 1988. P. 234-235).

However, it is far from always the unjustified use of the word extreme instead of last associated with the fear of offending a person by calling him "worst". A similar replacement is also found in many other contexts (not related to the queue), where it is caused by the desire to fence off not from the meaning of “worst”, but from the main meaning of the adjective last -"one that is not followed, nothing like that is expected."

It is well known that the use of the word last avoided by native speakers whose profession is associated with a constant risk to life. These are pilots and astronauts, divers and climbers, circus performers, etc. - the number of such professions is large, although extreme instead of last it was precisely the aerospace “belonging” that was fixed: in the “Big Dictionary of Russian Jargon” by V. M. Mokienko and T. G. Nikitina, the word extreme in the meaning of ‘last’ is accompanied by marks aviation, space 1 But from the speech of people who, risking their lives, perform their professional duties (and whose desire to avoid the ambiguity of combinations last flight, last jump etc. is clear and understandable), expressions like last time instead of last time, final day instead of last day etc., if they have not yet become widely used, then they are actively striving for this. This ubiquitous adjectival substitution last adjective extreme- nothing more than a gross violation of the norms of the Russian language.

However, let us return to the question “who is the last?”, More precisely, to the prejudice that prevents its use. The same considerations - the fear of offending a person with a word that has a negative connotation in one or more meanings - caused another common mistake. It's about changing the verb sit down(imperfect species sit down) verb sit down(imperfect species sit down), primarily in the imperative mood. Many native speakers prefer to speak sit down instead of sit down because the word sit down as if connected exclusively with prison associations (one of the meanings of the verb “to sit down” is “to go to prison by a court verdict”).

This myth is supported by the well-known phrase “I will always have time to sit down” from L. Gaidai’s feature film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession”, which has long become winged. But after all, the character of the film who utters this remark (in response to an offer to sit down for a doctoral dissertation) is a thief with experience. Why are today's office workers afraid to speak sit down to their guests, do they really assume that they all have a criminal past or present?

The Problem of Usage sit down instead of sit down goes beyond the scope of a conversation about language; not only linguists, but also publicists pay attention to it. E. Barabash writes:

“Unfreedom rooted at the level of genes dictates its own rules to the language ... The disgusting “sit down” instead of the normal “sit down” is now forever. A country that has shown such a remarkable, enviably inextricable fusion of politics and crime, the elite and crime, television and crime, life and crime, cannot afford to say “sit down”(E. Barabash. On a typewriter to a bright future).

But consider the form sit down from a linguist's point of view. IN " explanatory dictionary Russian language "S. I. Ozhegova and N. Yu. Shvedova verb sit down is explained as follows: ‘bend your knees, lower yourself’: to squat, ‘sit on a short time or in an insufficiently comfortable, calm posture’: sit on the edge of a chair(because the prefix at- denotes an incomplete action). talking sit down, we thus invite the guest to either perform a gymnastic exercise, bend his knees (such a proposal is quite appropriate in the gym, but not in the reception of a reputable company), or sit down for a short time (which the guest may well regard as a hint: he was offered a short sit down, and then quickly get up and leave). But in any case, neither offer implies an invitation to sit comfortably in a chair or armchair.

"Falsely understood politeness" calls the usage sit down O. I. Severskaya:

“... It’s as if they’re warning me that I’m not here for long ... And besides, why should I “sit down”, perched on the edge of a chair? Why don't I sit more comfortably and in detail the one to whom I came on business, about everything that interests me to ask? So, from my point of view, "please sit down" is to some extent the same infamous "there are many of you, but I am alone." And from the point of view of clerks - the most polite treatment."(Severskaya O. We speak Russian with Olga Severskaya. M., 2004. P. 16).

Thus, the "polite" substitution and the verb sit down verb sit down, and adjective last adjective extreme is fraught with even greater ambiguity and may well offend the interlocutor. And so let's remember ABC truth number 6.

ABC truth number 6. Approaching the queue at the cashier or to the doctor at the clinic, competently ask people: who is last? Inviting the guest to take a sitting position, politely say: sit down please. And "who is extreme?" and "sit down" is wrong.

V. M. Pakhomov,
Candidate of Philology,
editor-in-chief of the portal GRAMOTA.RU

1 However, it cannot be said that the replacement last on the extreme characteristic of the speech of all, without exception, representatives of these professions. Another opinion can be found on an Internet forum dedicated to aviation: “I grew up in a family that is more than closely connected with aviation. I talked a lot and communicate with the pilots, both at work and just as friends. Never in my 39 years have I heard from them in a conversation last time! But young people ... constantly emphasize this phrase, even inserting this phrase into absolutely civilian situations ... ”(user Son of the Commander).

The words "extreme" instead of "last". It will be necessary to leave in the annals of the magazine, because. I also actively use the magic function of the language, and plan to do so in the future. Now I'll just link to this post :)

2. EXTREME
Examples: the last cucumber in the bank, the last day before the salary, the last vacation

Classics of the genre! We do not touch the foreskin. Lyrics of the song "You will know that in vain they call the North extreme!" - too. This is sacred. But what extreme sex can there be or a sip, for example? It is used, of course, not in the meaning of "on the edge", but in the meaning of "last" (ideally, the one that follows the trail). This word organically merged medieval suspiciousness, superstition and the desire to twist something like that into speech. Verbal show-off, in other words.

The expression comes from dangerous professions, where such a word traditionally guarantees a return home. Aviators, submariners, sappers - this is professional slang for them. There is even an airfield "Extreme" at "Baikonur". At first, people from the pseudo-aviation crowd began to indulge in "extreme" ones (amateur skydivers with "extreme jumps", simmers - virtual pilots, and others). Then the baton passed to the actors, who in each interview have, if not an extreme change, then an extreme role. It’s like everyone has gathered in the next world! The collective insanity reached such proportions that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev intervened in 2013: “A request to the university, explain to them that the word “extreme” in Russian has a completely different meaning. Do not be afraid of the word "last". We have a strange philological trend. Everything is just extreme. The latter is fine."

Kara-Murza: “The case when we observe a rare magical function of the language. This is a common language word, which in certain social groups is perceived as a kind of dangerous spell. We can say that this is a local norm. When people discuss or use this word, they mean a highly specialized meaning. This word acquired a specific connotation, began to spread more widely, and the people picked it up because of their superstition and fearfulness. Maybe it's kind of a new metaphor. Transfer of danger from object to object».

Sharonov: “This word came back into use in the meaning of “last” for the second time. It appeared in the 60s and then experienced strong opposition from the bearers of culture. In many Soviet manuals and programs, it was emphasized that such use is incorrect. The process of introducing the word was stopped. And now, starting from the zero years, this word has suddenly returned. It is believed that by origin it is South Russian, Ukrainian. Passed into the language of aviators as a euphemism not to use the word last because it is associated with death. The popularity of this word is growing, but the norm should counteract this.”

PS. There are many more words that can be understood - "like", "bright little man", "I heard you", English and so on

In the next crowd, we usually hear different exclamations: someone asks “who is the last one?” , and now they answer him "I'm extreme!"). So how is it right? "last" or "extreme". V. M. Pakhomov (candidate of philological sciences) is convinced that this is a gross mistake in the queue to say “extreme” instead of “last”. The secret lies in the meanings of both words.

The word "last" often takes on a negative connotation, we call "the last" people and actions that "stand out" from the negative side. For example, “the last man”, “the last thing”, “the last villain”. Those. "the worst"! That is why people in the queue are sure that the word “last” cannot be called a person in order to avoid its negative connotation.

The word "extreme" is also with its "chips"

But the word "extreme" also has a similar meaning in folk speech. For example, "he turned out to be extreme in this situation." I would even say that "extreme" here acquires the meaning of the word "pathetic", "guilty without guilt."

People in the queue are convinced that calling a person “extreme” is not as offensive as “last”. But some just try to avoid the word "last", especially people in risky professions (pilots, drivers, drivers, climbers, military). “Last” is a fatal word for them, the use of which must be minimized, therefore, the “extreme” option is more often used.

But how is it right?

Saying “extreme” to a person, you send him “to the edge”. But there are two "extreme" people in the queue - the first and last, both "on the edge". Therefore, approaching the queue, feel free to ask “who is the last one”? No need to forcibly “attach” superstitions to your words! Same story with following words: people believe that it is impossible to talk about a person, that he is “sleeping” (in their opinion, it’s right - “resting”), you can’t say “sit down”, just “sit down”, not “finished school”, but “graduated from school”. These eschrophisms came from the times of the USSR, when people tried to please everyone as much as possible, to be “cultural”, but at the same time they forgot about language norms considering them "offensive".

From the very moment when it only began, the manner of replacing one word with another was joyfully taken up by millions of people, and now nothing of the latter is left in our country, there is only the extreme.
The last time we go to the cinema, the last time we go to the sea, and even a bun, which managed to remain alone on the counter, is shamefully called extreme.

The reason why this colloquial meme has gained such inexplicable and such widespread popularity, it seems to me, is that its source was those whose profession involves a risk to their lives - all sorts of pilots, miners and special forces. These people, under constant stress, and for this reason slightly damaged by reason, traditionally attach undue importance to various superstitions, among other things, in all seriousness believing that just one spoken word can quite influence the events of real life.

But we will not talk now about how much we are generally responsible for the pilot of a supersonic fighter, who seriously believes that the sound vibrations of the air of medium intensity, perceived by us as colloquial speech, can lead to the fall of the combat vehicle, let's talk about something else - why this manner has gained such wide use among those segments of the population who saw a jet fighter once in their life, and even then in the picture, and last participated in a special operation in 1986, as part of a voluntary people's squad?

Everything is simple here, this speech turnover used by people of dangerous professions, in the eyes of a simple layman, will certainly acquire a heroic-romantic halo, and for this reason some Vasya, a long-term dismissed and drunk turner of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, pronouncing "extreme" instead of "last" , represents himself fanned with mystery and glory, if not a commando, then at least a pilot or a secret agent. Moreover, this does not seem like a stupid prejudice to him, and on the contrary, this idiotic analogue of superstitious spitting over his shoulder is perceived by him as a sign of dedication, and perhaps even involvement in some kind of knowledge.

So Vasya is pedaling the use of the word "extreme", screwing it up with or without, and correcting his drinking companions, who, due to their ignorance, still say "last" - "This is not the last bottle, but the last one!"

Well, getting into the colloquial vocabulary ordinary people, this unchecked silly expression is spreading uncontrollably throughout the country, and people include it in their vocabulary without even thinking about how stupid it sounds. Fucking aptly said it once

Replacing the word "last" with the word "extreme" is a professionalism that came from among the pilots, people who, on duty, have to risk their lives. The parachutists also played their part: each of their steps into the abyss can be fatal, so out of superstition they will never say "the last jump." Over time, like a virus, the word "extreme" spread to the environment of athletes, people who are superstitious and afraid of injuries, as well as to the environment close to film production. If you're standing on the airfield, don't correct the pilot (professionals love to have distinctive speech markers and little rituals), but if there's no plane around, it's better to speak correctly.

Why the last one?

« After which there will be nothing" is just one of the meanings of the word " last", as in the expression "the last way." Its other meaning is what happened recently, after which yet There was nothing; when we speak " latest fashion" or " latest news”, we understand that after them the next fashion and the next news will come. The latter is a single-root word with the word next, it indicates only the order in the series, just like the numerals first, second and third.

You cannot replace "last" with "extreme" because they are not synonymous. Extreme- this is the one that is located on the edge, and the area in space has edges, the city can have the edge, the field, the table has four edges, in the group of people in the photo there is an extreme right and extreme left person.

In general, this word does not fit in the meaning of things arranged in order or to a sequence of events. “Last” is an absolutely harmless and worthy word. Yes, you can remember that it is used in the meaning of “the worst”, as in the combination “last villain”, but it depends on the context, and you can find a negative meaning in anything.

The word “extreme” can have a negative meaning “the one who was blamed for everything”, but if we remember this every time, we risk turning into language paranoids, into schoolchildren giggling nervously at the words “I’m finishing, it’s scary to re-read”, and into criminals , shuddering from the offer to sit down on a chair.

Ekaterina Petrova specially for