Patronymic name (or otchestvo) is important in Russia. Your father’s name following your own name being used in public (with the -vitch ending meaning the ‘son of’) presumably gives you staidness and respect. At least many think so. And this is something not to be missed if you are an aspiring candidate at the local election.
This naming difference is well illustrated by the two promotional leaflets. The left is issued by Olyeg Lisov, a local candidate at his very first running in the race. He uses his patronymic in a very formal way. The second leaflet is inviting people of Sergiyev Posad to come to meet Grigoriy Yavlinskiy, a well-know liberal politician introducing four local candidates in the forthcoming election. He stays away from providing his father’s name there – in a less patriarchal manner. This is the sound of the street promoter recorded a few minutes before the event.
Recorded October 6th, 2010 (CA-14 omni)
Published October 8th, 2010.