Hi!! I was using your Lithuanian endearments post as a reference for some hannibal fic but I got confused trying to figure it out. What do each of the 3 forms mean (like "Mažius/mažiukas/mažasis"). Are they different noun cases? I know latin, so if you do as well you can explain it to me like that (if that helps lol)! I also accidentally sent this to the wrong user LMAO (embarrassing xD)
Hi @svngriche! I don't know Latin, but hopefully I'll manage to be somewhat helpful. All these are sort of variations of "little (one)".
"Mažius" is a noun and literally means a person (or animal) that is little/small. It's a rather informal cutesy term (not really Hannibal's style, if not used in crack context).
"Mažiukas" and "mažasis" can both be adjectives and nouns. Kind of like "dear" in English. "Little/small" is actually "mažas" in Lithuanian. By adding a diminutive suffix you get "mažiukas" (also can be "mažytis", "mažuliukas" - don't get me started on all possibilities :D), which essentially means "very little" or "tiny".
"Mažasis" is a special form of adjective that in some contexts can be used as a noun. I'm not even sure if there is a term for this form in English (didn't find anything in quick google search, but I'm not a linguist so maybe I just don't know what to search). The additional ending adds a layer of specialness among the others with the same feature and means that you refer to a specific person/thing.
So here you go. If you ask me, I'd say Hannibal would most likely use "mažasis" as it kind of approximates the meaning of affectionate "dearest" with a tinge of "little" thrown in. ("Mažoji" would also be very appropriate for him talking to/about his sister.) Sassy and playful Will could go for "mažius" when teasing Hannibal. And "mažiukas" is somewhere in the middle.. :)
Don't hesitate if you have any follow-up questions or totally new ones. Always glad to help Hannigram creators.
