Weird stresses

[noser.livejournal.com]

I've been listening to the news lately, and it looks like the only way a native English speaker can pronounce the surname "Шарапова" is Sharapova. I've even seen a headline "Sharapova the Supernova". Those guys must've been pretty sure about the pronunciation :)

Is there something that makes English speakers think the stress is on the "o"? Maybe, an association with a known word like Casanova or something?

Another one I could never understand is "babushka". What gives?

P.S. And they think that Maria's father's name is "Yuri Sharapova". Гы-гы-гы :)))))

Upd. To make this entry useful for beginners in Russian: The right stresses and spellings are Sharapova, babushka, Yuri Sharapov :)

Comments

[kingdeadfish.livejournal.com]

OMG LOL THOSE CRAZY ENGLISH LOL

[hockeyophile.livejournal.com]

In English, we are used to putting the stress on the second-to-last syllables in words of at least three syllables. It doesn't happen all the time (like in words ending in "-ity": amity, calamity, monstrosity, audacity, etc., where the stress is on the syllable right before "-ity"), but it happens enough of the time that when we see words and names we're not familiar with that come from other languages, we put the stress on the second-to-last syllable. It just has to do with the way the English language works. We have a pattern in mind, but most of us just aren't aware of it.

So yeah, just blame our English-speaking minds. :)

[noser.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that sounds reasonable. It could have something to do with Latin. Of course, Russian is very distant from Latin, that's why it doesn't work that well...

[ex-layali552.livejournal.com]

When I read it in English I read it with the accent on the O. It's just an English thing. For example, when you're fluent in English, the accent of the words just comes to you. So when they transliterate words, they do their English thing and say it in an English way.

(Wow, what a long explanation about nothing.)

I never understoon "Babushka" I always explained where to emphasize/ "babushKA" and they said "BaBUshka?"

My last name is always a pain in the ass. They say "ProNIna" even after I tell them how to say it.

[ex-layali552.livejournal.com]

Hmm I messed up on the Babuska thing. BAbushka instead of my BabushKA.

[ex-layali552.livejournal.com]

*goes insane* TYPOS!!!

[mjhelol.livejournal.com]

It might have something to do with Polish, as the stress is baBUshka in Polish. Not sure if the word was borrowed from Russian or not...

[skripka.livejournal.com]

I studied enough Russian that I went right to Sharapova (which I now hope is right...eek). But with babushka, I had to stop and think. Mainly because when I was growing up, I heard it accented on the second syllable.

Stresses were always my weakness in Russian, though. *sigh*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_dem_/]

=)))

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just gave up years ago. There was no way to explain to every American I met that my name was [kiri'll mashko'ff]. Leave alone making them get the Cyrillic version right! (Кирилл Мошков) So I simply switched to [si'ril mo'shkou] and didn't care anymore :)))

[noser.livejournal.com]

Man, this is incredible - I am Cyril too! So, you tell me. :) However, I did not have much trouble teaching people to say it the right way at work. (Except Vietnamese, of course - what they call me I'm still unable to make out)

But those places where they ask for your name when you make an order, like coffee shops... Horrible. It looks like there's an infinite number of ways to spell "see-ril" in English. Just when you think you've seen everything, a new person develops something that totally blows you away, like "Serille". Then you spell it for them, and they think that "l" is an "o", or something else to make your life interesting. Ugh!

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

I know I know :) The latest version that made me just insane was an effort of a very advanced name-muncher at a tiny airport in Idaho. She asked me how I spelled my 1st name and put "Cereal" in my ticket :)))))))))))

[dancing-lizard.livejournal.com]

Poor Kirill-s :))) A little bit off topic, but I remembered how my boss (he's from New Zealand) listed all Russian names belonging his subordinates. He put in this list 'Sergei', 'Alexander', 'Kirill'... He was sure that he knew all names, but he was confused when guys called 'Сережа', 'Sasha', 'Shurik', 'Shura', 'Кирюха'. Не was amused and asked 'Who is Shurik? Sasha? Does Sasha work here too?'.

[welgar.livejournal.com]

I used to introduce myself as Oleg because virtually nobody has managed to pronounce Oleg correctly.

[pogoda.livejournal.com]

how do they call you?

[splusha.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. I've never met an english speaker who can pronounce my last name (KubYshkina) correctly.

[mananas.livejournal.com]

Sorry, BUT!! I'm a beginner in Russian. So I ask the question, how exactly do you pronounce it? Shuh-RAP-uh-vuh?

[noser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's correct.