“Our Patron and Protector”: The Language of Correspondents of A. D. Menshikov

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to study the language of letters from the Field Chancellery of A. D. Menshikov. Approximately 700 documents for 1703–1705 are investigated. All of them are kept now in the archive of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The main attention in the article is focused on the correspondence of the associates of Peter the Great with A. D. Menshikov and their “linguistic world”. The authors of the paper revealed the formulas used in the letters for naming A. D. Menshikov, wishing him health, and making requests. In order to analyze the language of letters, the authors compare two methodologies. In the framework of the theory of patronage, words about mutual loyalty and affection are interpreted as evidence of the existence of a patron-client relationship between the influential person and his correspondent. This approach is opposed by researchers who point out the diversity of forms of interpersonal communication in the medieval and modern society and warn scholars against standardization when explaining relationships. The present article raises the question of the legitimacy of using “the language of politeness” as the only proof of the presence of a patron-client relationship between A. D. Menshikov and the dignitaries of the reign of Peter the Great.