a possibly minority position

[Olga Meerson]

Jerry, 
Mocking a foreign accent is not the same as talking about the way a foreign name is rendered in another language, according to its phonetic rules, by its own native speakers. This difference is crucial. What you are doing by equating the two phonetic butcherings is politically incorrect. I don't think it is too big a deal morally--as political correctness, to me, has very little to do with tact or respect--but some people would actually be offended. Just you wait 'till I hear you speak Russian, not pronounce Russian names while speaking in  English! My own accent is strong but concerns mostly the non-aspiration of consonants--because my adviser and life-long mentor Bob Belknap once carefully explained to me the difference between short and long [i] vowels in English (roughly, the former being back and the latter front). So I feel near-indignant not on my own behalf but for my compatriots. Just you wait 'till I hear you speak Russian, not pronounce Russian names while speakin
g in  English! 
o.m.

----- Original Message -----
From: Jerry Katsell <jerry3 at ROADRUNNER.COM>
Date: Saturday, March 8, 2008 10:47 am
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] a possibly minority position

> God bless you, Michele and Kim,
> 
> I happened to be in Tbilisi in 1986 in our hotel bar where there 
> was a
> television broadcasting Gorbachev's speech after his meeting with 
> Reaganin Iceland. Gorby referred to Reagan as: "Meestir Prezeedent 
> Ray Gun!" I
> found it charming. Of course, Gorby is infamous in Russia for trotting
> out his version of English "Who's who?": "Khoo--ees--khoo?"! 
> 
> Jerry Katsell
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
> [SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Kim Braithwaite
> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 11:37 AM
> To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] a possibly minority position
> 
> God bless you, Michele
> 
> Mr Kim Braithwaite, Translator
>   "Good is better than Evil, because it's nicer" - Mammy Yokum (Al
> Capp)
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michele A. Berdy" <maberdy at GMAIL.COM>
> To: <SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU>
> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 10:40 AM
> Subject: [SEELANGS] a possibly minority position
> 
> 
> I have no idea what phonetic rendering of Medvedev will be easiest 
> for 
> English-speakers to pronounce. It's definitely a difficult name for 
> non-Russian speakers. But I think that if people get the stress right
> and 
> most of the sounds -- that will be just fine. Because (in a small 
> voice)I 
> don't think it's such a big deal. For 8 years Russians have called the
> US 
> president Mr Boosh. They call the first US president something like
> Dzhyorch 
> Vashinkton. (And don't forget that famous writer Gerbert Ooels.) 
> That'snot 
> disrespect or butchering the names -- it's just the best they can do
> with 
> their transliteration and phonetic systems. Somehow we have all 
> survived
> without a serious international incident.
> 
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