Name Issues
Name Pronunciation
Pronunciation and Meaning of Russian Names (with audio clips) - http://www.fredonia.edu/faculty/emeritus/edwinlawson/russiannames/
PDF Name List for above - http://www.fredonia.edu/faculty/emeritus/edwinlawson/russiannames/av/Russian-List-2-7-08.pdf
Rules of Russian Pronunciation - http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/pronounc.html
Alphabet Pronunciation with audio clips -
http://www.russianforeveryone.com/RufeA/Lessons/Introduction/Alphabet/Alphabet.htm
Better set up for alphabet pronunciation with audio clips - http://www.russianlanguageschool.com/alphabet/
Russian Grammar -
http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/
Ukrainian Names
Did they even exist? How do we prove it?
The Encyclopedia of the Ukraine has critical details about the development of the language - http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/U/K/Ukrainianlanguage.htm
Pavlo Chuchka, 2005, Lviv, Prizvishcha Zakarpats'kikh Ukraintsiv Istoriko-Etimologichnij Slovnik.
Ongoing notes on Ukrainian Names.
Mutating and Disappearing Vowels:
Like many other medieval people, Russian played fast and loose with the spelling of their names.
To see my notes on some of the common vowel shifts (and disappearances), see Vowel Shifts
No Temporal Disparity for Names from Wickenden:
In writing his Dictionary of Period Russian Names, Paul Wickenden only included the earliest example of a given form of a name, therefore, it is inappropriate to claim temporal disparity for a name combining a name phrase from the 10th century with another from the 16th century based only on Wickenden. The 10th century part probably was still being used in the 16th century, given the conservatism of Russian naming practices, but for the sake of space, Wickenden did not include the later examples.
Saint's names, in particular, would have been part of the Russian naming pool throughout period, indeed even unto the present day - by Russian Orthodox Church doctrine. From the collection of Russian name precedents:
| François la Flamme | 2001.10 | There was some discussion about the registerability of this name, since the dated examples for the given name and the byname have a temporal disparity of approximately 1400 years. The documentation for Turvon references a martyr who was a contemporary of the apostles. Given this information, the name Turvon falls into the category of a saint's name. As discussed in the September 2001 cover letter, a number of cultures had a tradition of giving their children the names of saints. Therefore, it is possible that this name remained in use long after Turvon's death, making this name registerable despite the temporal disparity in the name as documented. [Turvon Kuznetsov, 10/01, A-Atlantia] |
Foreign Names:
Nina - georgian name
Astrid Baecklund, 1956, examines the problem of transforming Greek names into Russian forms in Personal Names in medieval Novgorod . I have a copy now.
Russian Names of Greek origin - http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/Former-Soviet-Union/Russia/Greek.htm (seems to have a few mistakes, the Name List for Russian Name Pronunciation likely has more accurate origin information)
Minns, Ellis. "Greek and Latin Names in Russian Dress". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. Vol 66 (1946), pp 57-60.
Gertruda, wife of Andrei II (before 1235) according to Wickenden. Seems to have been Gertrude, the Bavarian wife of Andrew II of Hungary who died in 1235.
Lingua anglica allowance: http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2009/01/09-01cl.html
Lingual Mixes
Discussion of Finnic and Scandinavian names in lists (911 & 944) of Rus ambassadors -
http://www.allempires.net/finno-ugrian-impact-on-russian-ethnos_topic20088&OB=DESC_page5.html (944 list of names from Primary Chronicle -
Мы - от рода русского послы и купцы, Ивор, посол Игоря, великого князя русского, и общие послы: Вуефаст от Святослава, сына Игоря; Искусеви от княгини Ольги; Слуды от Игоря, племянник Игорев; Улеб от Володислава; Каницар от Предславы; Шихберн Сфандр от жены Улеба; Прастен Тудоров; Либиар Фастов; Грим Сфирьков; Прастен Акун, племянник Игорев; Кары Тудков; Каршев Тудоров; Егри Евлисков; Воист Войков; Истр Аминодов; Прастен Бернов; Явтяг Гунарев; Шибрид Алдан; Кол Клеков; Стегги Етонов; Сфирка...; Алвад Гудов; Фудри Туадов; Мутур Утин; купцы Адунь, Адулб, Иггивлад, Улеб, Фрутан, Гомол, Куци, Емиг, Туробид, Фуростен, Бруны, Роальд, Гунастр, Фрастен, Игелд, Турберн, Моне, Руальд, Свень, Стир, Алдан, Тилен, Апубексарь, Вузлев, Синко, Борич, посланные от Игоря, великого князя русского, и от всякого княжья, и от всех людей Русской земли. )
A very detailed account of the early Riurikids with foreign marriages, etc. -
http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/RUSSIA,%20Rurik.htm
Lingual Mixes
Gender in names:
One of the most frustrating problems in medieval Russian onomastics, and in the study of medieval names in any language, is the relative lack of documentation of women's names. A brief glance through Wickenden's Dictionary of Period Russian Names indicates that there are roughly 100 men's names documented for every 1 woman's name.
Another frustration is that a lot of names that look like they should be suitable as women's names, because they end in -a or -ya (which in modern Russian means that they are grammatically feminine) but are documented only as men's names. One example is "Pukhta" which means "puff" and is documented as a masculine name.
Names ending in -a or -ia are grammatically feminine and names ending in anything else are almost always masculine. Eg. Zhdan can only be a masculine name, and the feminine form is Zhdana or Zhdanka. But the feminine counterparts can often be used as names by men, as diminutives.
It seems that medieval Russian men were quite comfortable with grammatically feminine names (as diminutives or descriptives). The number of men's names that end in -a or -ia are too numerous to count. The modern word for fox, lisa, is considered grammatically feminine, but is listed in Wickenden as a diminutive of lis ("fox") and as a man's name.
Women did not use grammatically masculine/neuter names very often. Almost all the few I've found can be explained away as being foreign, or victims of the o/a confusion in pronunciation. All names in Wickenden that are used by both men and women, few though they be, end in -a or -ia.
See Gender Bending Names for more details.
Double Given Names:
Precedent allows Russian double given names.
Cover Letter of June 1997 LoAR: http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/1997/06/cvr.html, May 1996 LoAR re:
Makedonii Dmitrii Aleksievich Kolchin http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/1996/05/lar.html , May 1993 LoAR re:
Vladimir Rurik Sheremetyev http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/1993/05/lar.html,
Combining double Christian names has been ruled a SFPP. Affirmed in the:
December 2004 LoAR http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2004/12/04-12lar.html ,
August 2001 LoAR http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2001/08/01-08lar.html ,
Locatives:
Locative names in Russian are a recurring problem. There are four different types and the grammar of their construction is not fully explained in Wickenden, and one cannot always find the modern Russian form, much less document the period Russian form.
Unmarked locative - Riazan
See Locative Names
Examples of Two-Part Names (which are incredibly rare);
Dutaia Noga - hollow leg
Golaia Shuba - naked coat
Korotkie Nochi - short nights
Krivaia Shapka - curved hat
Krivaia Shcheka - curved neck
Lapti Velikie - big lapti (bast shoes) apparently a ball game
Sukhie Golenishchi - dry boot tops
Sukhie Kality - dry moneybags
Sukhie Kulaki - dry fists
Svinaia Golova - pig head
Tikhoe Leto - quiet summer
Tolstaia Golova - thick head
Tolstye Pal'tsy - thick fingers
Turii Rog - goat horn
Velikaia Shapka - big hat
Velikie Lapti - great lapti (bast shoes) apparently a game resembling baseball
Vostraia Sablia - sharp saber
Zolotoi Poias - golden belt