THOSE RUSSIAN NAMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15930, 29 May 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

THOSE RUSSIAN NAMES.

" There is no "h" in the Russian alphabet. Therefore the Russians spell Hartlepool " Gartlepool," and call Field-Marshal Hindenburg "Gindenburg." The captain of a Russian steamer, which in time of peace plies between and London, greeted a friend who had often sailed with him: "Ah! you are going for a goliday, yes? Where is your gusband?"

The Russian alphabet also lacks our "j" and our " w." Jones has to be spelt "Dzones.'' Williams becomes " Vilayms." Yet, in spite of these difficulties, the Russians manage to give a very fair, usually an exact, version of English proper and place names. Surely, in return, both out of compliment to them and in the interest of accuracy also, we should try to turn Russian names into. English more correctly than wc do, says the London Times. The reading of war news would, in addition, bo made easier to British eyes if the names of Russian places, in any case odd-looking, could be pronounced at sight instead of being puzzled ovei unci given up as a bad job.

There need be no difficulty about reproducing closely ill English the sound of any Russian name. Why, thou, do we spell the town which used to be called Lemberg Lwow. That suggests a pronunciation to rhyme with " now" and "cow." The proper way to pronounce it is Lvoff. It is spelled with two "v's." Before a consonant the Russian '" v" is hard, like ours. At thn end of a word is is slightly softened and should b» represented in English by double " f." Whenever "w" is used in spelling a Russian name is wrong, for there is no " \v" in Russian.

Cracow should, of course, be C'racoff. but that we are not likely to alter. We have sunk too deeply In the wrong rut. Nijny Novgorod should be "Nishni": and if we cared for accuracy we should write " Lo'dih" or " Lodsch" instead of Lodz, rhyming with " rods." These, however,- nave become familiar. >