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Author Topic: Reading signs in Cyrillic  (Read 55788 times)

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Offline Boethius

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #125 on: June 23, 2013, 06:19:34 AM »

Sorry, Boethius, but I don't.  Maybe if I moved in different circles I might get different responses, but I get tired of women who say, when they find out I've been to Russia, "Oh, hunting for a wife?" with an expression suggestive of finding something rather nasty on the sole of their shoe.  At least I don't get that response from female friends.
 
Of course it's not a generic response, but it has happened too often to be easily laughed off.  Men's responses are quite similar in words, but the inflection and expression are more akin to "I wouldn't mind trying that!"


I suspect it is a judgment of you, not FSUW. 
After the fall of communism, the biggest mistake Boris Yeltsin's regime made was not to disband the KGB altogether. Instead it changed its name to the FSB and, to many observers, morphed into a gangster organisation, eventually headed by master criminal Vladimir Putin. - Gerard Batten

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #126 on: June 23, 2013, 08:25:05 AM »
I hope this thread on reading Cyrillic doesn't get derailed on a topic that could easily sustain it's own place somewhere on the forum so if this is a topic of interest hopefully it can be moved to a place in the general forum.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2013, 08:40:54 AM by mendeleyev »
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Offline Anotherkiwi

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #127 on: June 23, 2013, 07:17:14 PM »

I suspect it is a judgment of you, not FSUW.

I sincerely hope not - I'm not THAT socially inept!

Offline Anotherkiwi

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #128 on: June 23, 2013, 07:18:10 PM »
I hope this thread on reading Cyrillic doesn't get derailed on a topic that could easily sustain it's own place somewhere on the forum so if this is a topic of interest hopefully it can be moved to a place in the general forum.

Don't worry mendy - that's definitely enough for a side-bar.  :)

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #129 on: June 26, 2013, 10:31:31 PM »
Travel in the former Soviet Union can be a challenge but it is getting easier due to increased tourism and the use of English as an International language on street signs and in transportation services such as trains, buses, etc.

So, can a little Russian help you along the way? Absolutely and to do that you'll need to know something about the Cyrillic alphabet, found here. Using that knowledge can help you with the basic stuff like street directions, and finding things like a restaurant, hotel, bar and other services.

Speaking of bars, we're going to visit the "Banka fan bar" in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv (Kiev). tourist directions height=647


So if we wanted to inquire about the Banka fan bar in Kyiv where they serve drinks in uniquely styled jars, here is how we'd ask:


bar banka in Kyiv height=372

For directions we'd ask "gdye" ( Где) which means "where is" something. A local would tell us that the Fan Bar is at ул. Елены Телиги 13 and our new skills at deciphering Cyrillic would tell us that we're looking for #13 Ye-l-e-n-a  T-e-l-i-g-i street. In Eastern Europe you pinpoint locations by the nearest subway station which in this case is м.Дорогожичи, or "Metro D-o-r-o-g-o-zh-i-ch-i."

Helpful?
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Offline ghost of moon goddess

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #130 on: June 27, 2013, 11:22:44 AM »

For directions we'd ask "gdye" ( Где) which means "where is" something. A local would tell us that the Fan Bar is at ул. Елены Телиги 13 ...

or rather вул. Олени Теліги 13 (Oleny Telihy street)  :) As a rule, names are not spelled the same way in Russian and Ukrainian.



BTW, in March 2013 the Banka Fan [dot]basement[/dot] bar was stealthily  ;) opened in Kyiv, it is located in the city center at вул. Льва Толстого /L'va Tolstoho street (near Ploshcha L'va Tolstoho metro station)

If you want to keep your expressions convergent, never allow them a single degree of freedom.

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #131 on: June 27, 2013, 04:17:32 PM »
Thanks for the Ukrainian spelling, Ghost. I was looking at a Russian language directory and should have translated it. Your participation and correction is of course very appreciated!
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Offline ghost of moon goddess

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #132 on: July 02, 2013, 04:39:58 AM »
Retro Airplanes Festival at the Aviation Museum address: 1, Medova str., Kyiv




The Fest is open from Tuesday 2nd July to Thursday 4th July 2013

3 great days for those who want to witness 27 vintage, rare and legendary airplanes (such as Yak-3, Yak-11, P-51D Mustang, DH-82 Tiger Moth) and also to experience the thrill of an air battle reenactment promised at the Fest.
Top guest of the Fest is His Royal Highness, Prince Michael of Kent. A vintage airplane enthusiast, the Prince is part of the pilot team of the British Air Squadron taking part in the Fest flying display.

I hope calmissile is reading this. LOL
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #133 on: July 02, 2013, 10:25:53 AM »
This is a good sign to recognize some of the differences between Russian and Ukrainian.

Some words are the same, such as the word for museum: музей

What kind of museum (aviation) is a little more challenging because they are spelled differently: авіації (Ukr) vs авиации (Rus)

The major headline demonstrates that when knowing the Cyrillic alphabet along with some words you don't have to be fluent to decipher a sign even with limited knowledge:

фестиваль ретро (f-e-s-t-i-v-a-l  r-e-t-r-o). By seeing the picture of an old airplane and reading "festival retro" you've understood that this a a festival about old airplanes.

The date is a little tricky because the word for July in Russian is июль ("e-yul") but in Ukrainian it is Липня.

Cool sign, Ghost!
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Offline Ooooops

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #134 on: July 02, 2013, 05:36:33 PM »

The date is a little tricky because the word for July in Russian is июль ("e-yul") but in Ukrainian it is Липня.



Actually, July is Липень    ;)   2-4 Липня is one of the tenses - 2- 4 Июля

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #135 on: July 02, 2013, 06:52:54 PM »
Correct, but to keep it simple for beginners we use only the term as used in the sign.  :)
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #136 on: July 12, 2013, 09:19:37 AM »
How could I have missed that yesterday was день шоколада, the Day of Chocolate?!
  :cluebat:

I'll have to celebrate triple this weekend to make up for the oversight.

Talkin' bout chocolate:

шоколад = chocolate [sha-ka-laht]

сладкий = sweet [slad-key]

горький = bitter [gor-key]

горячий шоколад = hot chocolate [gar-yach-key sha-ka-laht]

молочный шоколад = milk chocolate [ma-lowch-kne sha-ka-laht]

плитка шоколада = chocolate bar [pleat-ka sha-ka-lada]

шоколадный торт = chocolate cake [sha-ka-laud-ni tort]

Given that it was the French who gave us this "holiday" perhaps it would be good to learn how to say chocolate in French, too.



338956_299795706722543_306525009_o height=356


PS...for those suffering emotional trauma and gastronomic distress over missing this day, there are two observances of the "Day of Chocolate" annually. So if you missed 11 July your opportunity comes around again on 4 September.  :D Hang in there!
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #137 on: July 28, 2013, 11:01:16 PM »
Cars is our theme today. Hopefully you won't drive in the FSU as we'd like to see you around for awhile but here are some helpful signs for cars.

Garage is гараж and sounds almost like you'd normally say it in English. The Cyrillic spelling: g-a-r-a-zh (гараж).


cars Nikita Miroshnichenko garage sm height=511


For alert readers this sign even tells us the region where the  гараж (garage) is located. Can you figure out the region?

гараж (garage) is where to store the car and not the American English double meaning which can include repair services as well as storage. As most Russians/Ukrainians live in apartments a garage is typically a row of garages or a long building with individual slots for storing a car. Sometimes these are close to the apartment but it isn't that unusual for a car owner to walk several blocks to a garage storage area.

For repair the term used is "avto centre" (автосервис - see brown car below) and that also sounds almost like you'd say it in English. Just remember to say "avto" instead of "auto" and you'll be fine. You'll want a "repair master" to work on the car in the avto service centre.


cars Nikita Miroshnichenko autoservice height=372



Oh cool, looks like someone is proud to own a бентли (Bentley)!


cars Bentley height=369


Looks like the "Bentley" could use a repair master.


Finally, we'll leave you with a 1970s movie about the adventures of a Soviet museum workers "garage cooperative" where, as you might guess, the number of slots has to be reduced because of construction and so not everyone will get a spot in the garage as planned:




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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #138 on: August 08, 2013, 01:09:49 AM »
 Number of Russian Speakers in U.S. Quadruples in 30 Years, Census Report Says   
08 August 2013 | Issue 5186 RIA Novosti   

WASHINGTON — The number of Russian speakers in the United States has quadrupled over the last 30 years, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report.

The report — titled Language Use in the United States: 2011 — indicates that the number of people speaking Russian in their homes surged from 173, 226 to 854,955 over the three decades between 1980 and 2010, an increase of 393.5 percent.

By 2011 the number of Russian speakers in the United States was even higher at 905,843, the report said.

The percentage change is outmatched only by Vietnamese, which rose by 599.2 percent during the 1980-2010 period, according to the report which was published Tuesday.

Although Russian is booming, Spanish is by far the most common language other than English spoken at home.

According to the census report, 37.5 million people in the United States spoke Spanish or Spanish Creole at home in 2011, up from approximately 11 million in 1980, the U.S. Census Bureau found.

Chinese was the next most widely spoken non-English language, with almost 2.9 million speakers in 2011, it said.
 
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #139 on: August 28, 2013, 10:30:38 PM »
I've learned that Russians like natural products and whenever Mrs. Mendeleyeva is in the USA she constantly reads labels, tossing aside just about any product with ingredients she can't read or pronounce. So to keep my face clear for those times I'm facing a camera (usually the camera breaks so it doesn't matter), I've discovered this product:

Facial cream St John's wort height=559

чистая линия = pure line (organic)

фитотерапия здоровая кожа = herbal for healthy skin

 крем для лица  = cream for the face (facial cream)

зверобой дикорастущий = Saint John's wort grown in the wild/forest

 Cost: 50 рублей (50 rubles, under $2)
 
 Never test what happens by telling your wife that you really don't care whether or not it works, but you sure do like the pretty packaging and nice aroma.


(No commercial or financial connection to this product.)
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #140 on: August 29, 2013, 11:15:40 AM »
It is that time of the year again, бабье лето (Indian summer), and that means we're frequently reaching for a зонт (umbrella), spoken as "zont" in Russian. Autumn is осень, pronounced "O-sin" in Russian and with it comes the need for protection from rain and light snows on latter autumn days.

Umbrella vending. Photo: Anna Shikunova height=490
(Umbrella vending. Photo: Anna Shikunova)

It isn't too often in the West that one finds a vending machine for umbrellas (зонты) but we do have them in Eastern Europe. This one can be found in Saint Petersburg and offers three varying styles. The term for such a vending machine is Зонтомат ("ZON-ta-maht") and from this machine we are offered:

лёгкий ("lyo-kee") is a lightweight umbrella for just 100 rubles ($3).

антиветер ("ahn-ti ve-ter") is a more sturdy windbreaker umbrella for 200 rubles ($6).

сувенирный ("su-ve-nyer-nee") is an umbrella with a city logo and thus sold as a souvenir. Priced at 300 rubles ($9).

So, you're almost ready for autumn weather in Russia. Oh, what is the term for weather, you ask? Weather is погода, spoken as "pa-GO-da."

Now you are ready for autumn.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2013, 11:19:10 AM by mendeleyev »
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #141 on: August 30, 2013, 08:00:05 AM »
Russian language lesson: the KGB.

It seems that readers appreciate Russian language tips and here is one for today. The photo you see is the logo and initials of the feared "KGB" in the Cyrillic alphabet. While Russian can be a complicated language with changing grammar cases, a longer alphabet, formal and informal levels, etc, at least in one area it is simpler than some other languages: phonetics.


kgb height=329

When most English speakers attend school they study English phonics, the practice of putting the name of letters together with their sounds. Fortunately, in most instances when speaking Russian the sound is the name of a letter, thus generally eliminating the need to spend a lot of time on phonics. So, in the photo you see the letters K-G-B, sounded by using the names of the Cyrillic letters which are КГБ, "Kak-Geh-Beh." Easy!

Now you know how to say KGB like a good Russian: "Kak-Geh-Beh" however as the KGB is now the "FSB" in Russia, we'll have to detail that one for you in the next installment.
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Offline SANDRO43

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #142 on: August 30, 2013, 08:30:20 AM »
"Kak-Geh-Beh"
That's how it would have been pronounced once in English (in 'French' style) before the language underwent its Great Vowel Shift ;):

Quote
The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in England between 1350 and 1700. The Great Vowel Shift was first studied by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a Danish linguist and Anglicist, who coined the term.

Because English spelling was becoming standardized in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Great Vowel Shift is responsible for many of the peculiarities of English spelling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift
Milan's "Duomo"

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #143 on: September 12, 2013, 09:42:46 PM »
пятница is Friday and you can add the number 13 to indicate Friday the 13th, although that really isn't "thirteenth" but this form is acceptable.


пятница is spoken as [PYAT-neets-a}




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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #144 on: September 12, 2013, 11:16:47 PM »
Here is a basic Russian lesson on the days of the week.

The Eastern calendar runs Monday thru Sunday so the next time you're in the FSU, take a closer look at a calendar to see what I mean.

calendar 2013 b height=426



As you can see on this calendar the day beginning each week is Monday and Saturday and Sunday are the last days of the week.
The first day of the week is Monday: понедельник, "pani-DYEL-nik."

Monday height=435
 


Next comes Tuesday: вторник, "FTOR-nik."


Tuesday a height=350



Wednesday is среда, spoken "sri-DA."




Wednesday a height=372



The next day is Thursday: четверг, "chit-VYERK."


Thursday a height=400


Just in case you've forgotten, the verbiage at the bottom of this Thursday sign reminds us that tomorrow is Friday.


Do you remember Friday? It is пятница, "PYAT-neets-a."

Friday b height=330


After Friday comes Saturday: суббота, "su-BO-tah."


saturday b height=666



So now we come to the last day of the week, Sunday: воскресенье, "vas-kri-SYEN-ye."


Sunday a height=376



The sign reads "And today is Sunday." So there you have the days of the week.


Review:
понедельник
 вторник
 среда
 четверг
 пятница
 суббота
 воскресенье
And those are the День недели (days of the week).








Are you ready to test your knowledge of the days of the week? Try a fun quiz at this link.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2013, 11:19:15 PM by mendeleyev »
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Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #145 on: October 07, 2013, 09:27:40 PM »
One local Moscow publication, The Village, decided to drive the same route Mr. Putin takes to and from work. To be sure it is a nice photo of the car much like the presidential limo but most days Mr. Putin walks across the hallway of the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, just outside the Western area of Moscow.  On days when the Russian President does travel to the Kremlin he usually takes a helicopter in so as not to disrupt traffic.

The publication touts that they drove the same route to show Moscow residents how Mr. Putin sees their city each day. Perhaps someday when they can film themselves walking down the hallways of Novo-Ogaryovo readers will find it a tad more interesting.


Putin Limo b height=476


That being said however their photo and the caption gives us a nice opportunity to learn a little Russian:

- Город or "gor-ahd" is the term for city. For those readers learning the Cyrillic alphabet, the spelling is G-o-r-o-d. Admittedly this is a hard word to learn and it helps if you trill the letter r (p).

- Дом "dOme" is home and работа "ra-bOt-ah: is work. The phrase дом - работа is "home to work."

- москва глазами путина means "Moscow as seen by Putin."

- Москва is "Mas-vah" the word we speak as Moscow, spelled M-o-s-k-v-a. This letter o isn't stressed so it is spoken as an "ah"c sound.

Just two more words in this short lesson so here we go.

- президент is our word for "president" and p-r-e-z-i-d-e-n-t is spoken with more of the Z sound.

- России is a grammatical case for the word россия, or Russia. They way to pronounce Russia is "Ra-see-ya."
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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #146 on: October 31, 2013, 09:36:18 PM »
We made some of these yesterday at the office: дайкири (d-a-i-k-i-r-i), daiquiri. Say it like "die-keree" making sure to trill/roll the r.

strawberry дайкири height=591
клубника is a great flavour, strawberry. клубника sounds like "klueb-neka" and make sure it has the "clue" sound at the beginning, not 'club.'


We'll end this lesson with the girl duo known as "Daiquiri" singing Papa (Dad).




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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #147 on: November 16, 2013, 06:23:16 PM »
Царь is the word for Caesar, or King in Russian.

You may know it as Tsar, which few Westerners speak correctly until a Russian corrects and teaches the proper sound.

Romanov billboard c height=341

Tsar is the right spelling transliteration, by the way, but if you say Tsar or Czar or any sound that voices the "r" then it is wrong and I'll understand you, your friends will understand you and folk on your street will understand it, but Russians will have to struggle mightily to understand.

Here is a guide to help you:

Think of the English word sigh, s-i-g-h. We really don't speak the g and instead we say the letters s-i-h.

Well Russian does the same sort of thing with Царь in that they don't speak the last letter, the R (p).

In addition on this word Russian abruptly cuts off the end of the word because of that letter known as the "soft sign" the letter that looks like: ь

Now, back to sigh, s-i-g-h. If you can say "sigh" then you are darn close to correctly saying Tsar.

Close we admit, but we need to refine it a bit.

Let's take it letter by letter: Царь. Ts is the first letter. But don't say "ts" as that is too long. Start with the T and let your mouth begin to add the "s" but stop! Quickly stop but then immediately add an "i" but don't finish that either (remember that the soft sign negates sound).

Царь = Tsi with only part of the s and part of the i. Ignore the letter R (p), remember that the ь is always unspoken and serves to shorten letters before it, and the a in this configuration is sounded as an i.

Hear it yourself by plugging the word into a tool such as this one: http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php

Never in your learning has a short four letter word been so difficult.  :D
« Last Edit: November 16, 2013, 06:28:57 PM by mendeleyev »
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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #148 on: November 16, 2013, 07:08:47 PM »
Wait, Mendy, in the word Tsar the sound 'R' at the end is well pronounced and clearly audible! It sounds soft, however, as the soft sign indicates. Just like in the word 'река'.
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Re: Reading signs in Cyrillic
« Reply #149 on: November 16, 2013, 07:20:02 PM »

Царь = Tsi with only part of the s and part of the i. Ignore the letter R (p), remember that the ь is always unspoken and serves to shorten letters before it, and the a in this configuration is sounded as an i.


Tsi? Respectfully, I have to say that is the first I hear of that and is certainly not what I hear in the film of the same name: [size=78%] [/size]

 

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