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How do you say Simon Nabatov?


johnlitweiler

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The thing to remember with Russian names is that the emphasis is always on the penultimate syllable.

It's also good to remember that this is not the case.

D.D. is from Russia, so he knows what he's talking about.

Edited by J.A.W.
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Stresses on Russian names can be confusing. For example, a common last name is Ivanov. But there are actually two different last names spelled this way: I-VAN-ov and I-van-OV.

Guys, I don't know where you get this sort of information from. i-VA-nov is not impossible theoretically, but would be a very unusual last name in Russia.
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Can I assume his first name is pronounced SEE-mone.

Stresses on Russian names can be confusing. For example, a common last name is Ivanov. But there are actually two different last names spelled this way: I-VAN-ov and I-van-OV.

Guys, I don't know where you get this sort of information from. i-VA-nov is not impossible theoretically, but would be a very unusual last name in Russia.

John gets it straight from the source.

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Stresses on Russian names can be confusing. For example, a common last name is Ivanov. But there are actually two different last names spelled this way: I-VAN-ov and I-van-OV.

Guys, I don't know where you get this sort of information from. i-VA-nov is not impossible theoretically, but would be a very unusual last name in Russia.

It exists. I know a I-VAN-ov.

It is not clear to what degree the correct English pronunciation of many Russian names should have the same stress as in Russian. For example, a lot of Russian names have the stress on the last syllable. Since this is unnatural sounding in English, the stress is often shifted, usually to the first syllable: Tolstoy, Pasternak, Mandelshtam, Gorbachev, Khruschev. Similarly, if we wanted to be faithful to the Russian, we would need to pronounce Valery Ponomarev's name as panamarYOV.

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For Д.Д., a bit of history on I-VAN-ov vs. I-van-OV:

В XIX в. (по крайней мере в начале и середине века) фамилия преимущественно употреблялась с ударением на а — Ива́нов. Сейчас она чаще используется с ударением на последнем слоге — Ивано́в. Вариант Ива́нов в начале XX века ощущался как присущий дворянству, хотя исторически это далеко не обязательно: есть как дворяне Ивано́вы, так и недворяне Ива́новы.

This text says that at least until the second half of the 19th century, I-VAN-ov was the more common pronunciation. By the beginning of the 20th century, I-VAN-ov was often (although not always) used for the gentry, while I-van-OV became more common among the masses. Now, I-van-OV is more common.

Edited by John L
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For Д.Д., a bit of history on I-VAN-ov vs. I-van-OV:

В XIX в. (по крайней мере в начале и середине века) фамилия преимущественно употреблялась с ударением на а — Ива́нов. Сейчас она чаще используется с ударением на последнем слоге — Ивано́в. Вариант Ива́нов в начале XX века ощущался как присущий дворянству, хотя исторически это далеко не обязательно: есть как дворяне Ивано́вы, так и недворяне Ива́новы.

This text says that at least until the second half of the 19th century, I-VAN-ov was the more common pronunciation. By the beginning of the 20th century, I-VAN-ov was often (although not always) used for the gentry, while I-van-OV became more common among the masses. Now, I-van-OV is more common.

John, I can't say about early XX century Russia, but today if you would insist on being called "I-VA-nov" you would look preposterous (particularly given that Ivanov is one of the most common Russian last names) :) .

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