(no subject)

[jesuschrist2k1.livejournal.com]

In my Russian textbook, they use the abbreviation "No." for number. Why not "Но."? That is, why are the characters in Latin and not Cyrillic?

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

I don't know exactly why, but they simply accepted the № symbol for "number" in Russian. Maybe it's because it was used in German and French, and German was the science and medicine's language in Russia during 18th-19th centuries, while French was the language of the nobles (some Russian nobles hardly spoke Russian at all) and educated people. BTW the № sign itself is just the graphic abbreviation of No., "numero". It has been used in English as well.

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Do you still find "educated" people in Russia speaking French?

[ars-longa.livejournal.com]

Sadly, no. This tradition perished with the aristocracy.

[fox-c.livejournal.com]

No, but you'll often find that they speak some other 2nd language (sometimes a 3rd or 4th as well). They teach language at a much younger age than we do in the states. My host mom spoke passable German and my host brother at 9 had already had three years of German.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

In their everyday lives? You've got to be kidding. No nobles, no serves, no French :)

[oryx_and_crake]

My guess is - because the system of official documentation was borrowed from the West.

[welgar.livejournal.com]

Just a tradition. I think wolk_off is right: it appeared in Russian at the times when we hardly had any scientifical or even semi-scientifical terms and used German and French instead.

[miram.livejournal.com]

If they really use this abbreviation, it seems to be an English influence. In Russian, there should normally be the № symbol.

[oryx_and_crake]

the № symbol itself is a stylized "No."

[mithgol.livejournal.com]

A tradition.

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

It is to distinguish the number sign from other letters.
In English, you use # for number, which doesn't look like any usual letter.
№ is like that.