transliteration question

[nataliek at UALBERTA.CA]

Dear Colleagues,

We are revising my soundfiles website - the Ukrainian audio one where  
you can listen to my field recordings on line.  In the process of  
revision, we are trying to be systematic and user-friendly.  One issue  
that has come up is the transliteration of place names, esp. those  
with a Ukrainian double-dotted i.

The capital of Ukraine is a good example.  If I transliterate its name  
according to modified LOC, I end up with Kyiiv.  This is awkward  
enough for American news agencies to have dropped the second "i" and  
settled on Kyiv as the generally accepted spelling.

In my field data I have place names which, if transliterated properly,  
end up as Mliiiv.  Yes, I'm not kidding - 3 "i"s in a row.  Needless  
to say, people who have used the website in the past have questioned  
such bizarre names/spellings.

So what should we do on this new website?  Should we stick with LOC  
and give Mliiiv?  Should we drop one of the "i"s?

And what about apostrophes indicating soft signs?  These have created  
all sorts of havoc because the computer, of course, does not recognize  
apostrophes generated in different locations on the keyboard.  Can we  
get rid of apostrophes in place names?  Or should we really try to  
stick to LOC?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Natalie Kononenko
Kule Chair of Ukrainian Ethnography
Editor, Folklorica
University of Alberta
Modern Languages and Cultural Studies
200 Arts Building
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E6
Phone: 780-492-6810
Web: http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/uvp/

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