This is just a topic that's always been interesting to me since I took a language in high school and they'd always give you a version of your name that was in the target language. Because while I understood why that would be a good idea in the classroom (especially if the language changed noun endings) I always thought it was weird to suggest that your name would change in another language.
That is, even if there is a Russian version of the name, if it doesn't sound like the name pronounced with a Russian accent, it's a new name. Like to me changing Elizabeth to something like "Elizaveta" would be the same name. Likewise Genry and Henry seem pretty close.
But, for instance, in English people would hear Michael and Mikhail as different names. So in some ways even if they had names with a Russian equivalent, it might still sound like a new name.
Of course, we're not even dealing with the fact that they would have a completely different last name and also have Mikhailovich/Mikhailovna!
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Paige's Russia lessons
Date: 2018-04-17 05:55 pm (UTC)This is just a topic that's always been interesting to me since I took a language in high school and they'd always give you a version of your name that was in the target language. Because while I understood why that would be a good idea in the classroom (especially if the language changed noun endings) I always thought it was weird to suggest that your name would change in another language.
That is, even if there is a Russian version of the name, if it doesn't sound like the name pronounced with a Russian accent, it's a new name. Like to me changing Elizabeth to something like "Elizaveta" would be the same name. Likewise Genry and Henry seem pretty close.
But, for instance, in English people would hear Michael and Mikhail as different names. So in some ways even if they had names with a Russian equivalent, it might still sound like a new name.
Of course, we're not even dealing with the fact that they would have a completely different last name and also have Mikhailovich/Mikhailovna!