Isaac Asimov

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

According to Wikipedia, Russian author and scientist Isaac Asimov was originally known as Исаак Озимов [Isaak Ozimov], but his name is now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов [Ajzjek Azimov]. That seems very strange to me. Was this just done to reflect the English pronunciation? Is that commonplace in Russia? The Russian Wikipedia article on Asimov uses the latter name, and seems to indicate (although I cannot read Russian) that he was born with a the former name.

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

According to the materials I found, Озимов was the original family name that was changed to Azimov when the family emigrated. So, the writer was born Исаак Озимов (Исаак is the Russian version of this name, and Айзек is the transcription reflecting the English pronunciation, like Михаил - Michael - Майкл et cetera).

[oryx_and_crake]

So, the writer was not "originally known" as Исаак Озимов, but was called this when he was a child (when evidently no one knew him except his family and friends).

[ex-ex-mmnd9.livejournal.com]

думаю, озвучили так, как он сам себя называл.

[oryx_and_crake]

Ahem. May I (traditionally) remind that the working language of this community is English.

sorry

[ex-ex-mmnd9.livejournal.com]

I believe that the name was written and pronounced in the manner that the writer used to call himself.

[crculver.livejournal.com]

Ahem. May I remind you that they only truly proven method of learning a language quickly is direct immersion?

[gera.livejournal.com]

I am yet to see an adult who really learned a language just through immersion without first diligently learning the basics through traditional methods.

[vedma.livejournal.com]

most of my English was learnt through working in a local pub in the UK :)
you tend to learn slang as opposed to formal English.

[gera.livejournal.com]

I am guessing, you had a decent grasp of the language at the time you started working there.

[vedma.livejournal.com]

not really. i have been in UK since i was 16 years old and did not actually study English until i was 20.
when i did exam teacher told me i was fluent at speaking, as native, though only got 7 out of 10 for grammar :(

[oryx_and_crake]

This community has certain rules and I am here to ensure that people adhere to them. There are other LJ-communities for learning Russian, with different sets of rules - anyone who is not satisfied with the rules of this community can move there.

[wiwi.livejournal.com]

how can i find these communities?
i wanna read this and those

[oryx_and_crake]

Sure, no problem.

practicerussian
learn_rus (this one is practically dead though)

[gera.livejournal.com]

He was born in Russia, but he lived in US since he was 3, so for all practical purposes he was an American and definitely an American writer.
Therefore his name is spelled the way it would be spelled for any other American - by transcribing it in Cyrillic letters.

[khathi.livejournal.com]

First of all, he wasn't Russian. He was Jewish, and since his parents emigrate to US when he was three, he was by all accounts an American scientist and writer. His first language most probably was Yiddish, but all his works were written and published in English, so it's only natural to his name to be transcribed from its English version, which became Isaac Azimov when he came to US. After all, he didn't write anything while being Исаак Озимов. ;)

[oryx_and_crake]

This is a subtle dustinction between nationality and ethnicity that most Western people probably would not understand. By the way, no one called him Russian here, and Wikipedia says he is of Russian origin which is true because he was a citizen of Russian Empire by birth.

[alec-milkin.livejournal.com]

Asimov was born January, 2 1920. It means his never been citizen of Russian Empire. And He and his parents leaves Russia before Desember, 22 1922 that means he never was citizen of USSR. It is fact. ;-)

[oryx_and_crake]

What country did Mogilyov region belong to, at the time? I daresay there was no independent Byelorussia in 1920, was there?

[alec-milkin.livejournal.com]

It's a good question. I need little bit time for answer for this.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

1920? Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one year old by then, I guess.

[oryx_and_crake]

By the way, there is a contradiction between English and Russian wikipedias - the former says that Petrovichi, Azimov's native village, belonged to Smolensk oblast, RSFSR, and the latter says it belonged to Mogilyov region in Russia (sic!) I tend to believe the latter - my guess is that the borders of the countries and regions shifted several times since Azimov's birth, and the author(s) of the English article just looked up Petrovichi in a modern map without knowing or caring whether it might have been a different country at the time.

[oryx_and_crake]

P.P.S. Both articles say that Azimovs emigrated in 1923, therefore they were still at home on December 22, 1922 which makes them a Soviet Union citizens... unless their shtetl was at that part of Byelorussia that become a part of USSR only in 1940.

[alec-milkin.livejournal.com]

Ops. It easy. Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was declared on January 1, 1919 in Smolensk. The League of Nations recognised the eastern borders of Soviet Union on March 15 1923.

[oryx_and_crake]

As I just said, the picture can be much more complicated if we take into account that a) the borders' layout in 1919 were very much different from the modern ones, and b) there was a part of Belorussia that only joined in 1940.

[alec-milkin.livejournal.com]

Not this part. It's eastern Bielorussia.

[oryx_and_crake]

It could as well be part of Russia then :-)

[alec-milkin.livejournal.com]

I think Azimov family emigration is a result of this part of Byelorussia was ben a part of Soviet Union.

[oryx_and_crake]

There is no use in guessing - if we want to know for sure, we should find a map of 1920 and see which country Petrovichi belonged to, at the time. (Not that I care about this, actually.)

[sydhe.livejournal.com]

It's really no use in guessing, as it belonged to Russian Soviet Federal Socialictic Republic. (All Mogilev region belonged).
And I did't understand the subject of this post\answer. We take pronunciation from state language of a person.
For example - Joan. If a person is Spanish we call him Хуан. If a person is Portogese we call him Жуан.

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

Хуан would more likely be Juan, with a u and not an o in Spanish, although I believe it is spelled Joan and pronounced Juan/Хуан in Catalan or some other language related to Spanish.

[e-tolstoon.livejournal.com]

First Asimov`s language was russian. But he sertainly was an eanglish writer and scientist.

[berzerg.livejournal.com]

Sometimes we even have some crazy shit like "Айвэ/ен" for Ivan.

[vladon.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was done to reflect the English pronunciation.

[vedma.livejournal.com]

i see why he changed it, my name is Oksana and it should be pronounced Aksana. None Russian speakers always get it wrong :(

[ekeme-ndiba.livejournal.com]

I think this correction was done just in order to restore the right spelling (probably previously distorted by a semiliterate clerk). Azimov is quite a common name among either Muslim peoples of the former USSR and Jews while Ozimov is a very rare native Russian surname, while Russian pronunciation of both names is identical.