Mercy Norm in Russian Linguistic Picture of the World

Mercy norm is a summary of rules that asking for help and giving support persons have to follow.These rules are represented in the semantics of some words and proverbs. The mercy norm functioningis based on two kinds of estimations. Appraisal from good ideal dictates not to damage somebody andto help everybody who needs help. Russian society considers a person, who doesn`t keep these rules,as deficient, merciless, heartless and inhuman. At the same time aiding people who need help is realizedwith a glance of comparative estimation results, that supposes: 1) selection of persons who needhelp more than the others, 2) regulation the size of donation with means of a giving person.Etiquette requires showing tact the object of mercy and not to use the appreciation words(бедный, жалкий, убогий) in communication with such kind of people. Also you should not reproachthem with it (попрекать куском хлеба). Any person has a right to complain of his bad living conditions(жаловаться, сетовать, роптать), but he has not to complain about unimportant departurefrom the norm of his life and to be too verbose or tiresome (ныть, хныкать, скулить). Russian etiquettealso recommends to moderate undesirable impression of his complaint by apologies or selfirony.The person who is the cause of his own bad living conditions should not complain of these conditionsand can only regret about it (пенять на себя самого). It is impermissible to complain of anybodyin order to derive advantage from that (ябедничать, кляузничать, фискалить). It is quite appropriateto express regret for the loss of something valuable (жалеть о чем), but you should notshow stinginess if its necessary to help people (жалеть чего-л. для кого-то). Mercy norm recommendsnot to attach importance to complaints of the person who violates these rules.

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