The Dark Reason Why The Russian Language Doesn’t Have a Word for “Grandparents”
Since my parents became grandparents I noticed something strange about the Russian language. Part of the reason I noticed this is because I’m a stickler for efficiency and kind of on the lazy side. That’s why many articles I have been putting out have been created with ChatGPT but this one you get to hear straight from my non-eloquent and ungrammatical self. Over the past two years I have said the words for grandpa “dedushka” and grandma “babushka” more than I have ever have in my life. BUT I can’t say “grandparents!” I have to say “grandpa and grandma.” It is first off really annoying…
…and the more I think about it confusing.
How does a language that has existed for 4000–6000 years have not a word for grandparents?! Did nobody over the past 6000 years think “wow it is really annoying to say ‘grandpa and grandma’ so let’s make a new word ‘grandparents’”? How did that not happen?
I have two theories (one funny and one not so funny)
- We are in a simulation:
A simulation would explain this from the perspective of the “creator” of the simulation either just messing with us or just being fallable. They messed up the programming of the Russian language and just left it out by accident.
2. Men die too early that you don’t have grandfathers so you don’t need a word for grandparents:
Russian history is fraught especially over the past 100 years with war and alcoholism. Both of these tragedies in Russian history have created generations with men that not only die very young in war but later in their 40’s and 50’s because of the complications of alcohol. This effect is so strong that even in 2021 men in Russia have a life expectancy 10 years lower than women. 10 years! That’s a long time to not say the word grandparents.
I think that is the dark answer to the question of why the Russian language does not have a word for grandparents. Just look at the war in Ukraine happening right now. 200,000 Russians have died in an unprovoked war for the simple purpose of a land grab under the false pretense of Nazis in Ukraine. 200,000 men.
St Petersburg, Russia (not Florida) is often called “the city build on bones” because of the number of people that died building this city over swampland. 100,000 serfs, mostly men, died to build this city. That’s the sad truth of Russian culture, Russian language and Russian history.
I recently put out a youtube video regarding Crime and Punishment and just realized why that book hit home so hard. The darkness and depression in Russia especially in men who have time and time again been ripped of any feeling of confidence was finally captured in a novel:
Words have meaning and the absence of words can also sometimes have meaning. In the case of the Russian language missing the word for “grandparents” it is a very dark and sad meaning.
Let’s end on a good note! I have a proposal which will fix this problem. The word is “badushka” which combines the words for grandpa and grandma together. :)