query about transliteration

[Genevra Gerhart]

Ladies and gentlemen,

Problem is, countries and groups within countries have seen fit to
transliterate as they damn well please. Thus, the Russians, using their own
standard, transliterate their "x" as our h. (Which sounds as close as an
American can easily get to the Russian "x".) This, of course,
discombobulates US academics who realize that only the LC (Library of
Congress) system will do among civilized people. This latter group does not
include linguists who use yet another system or systems that endeavor to
come closer to a one-to-one correspondence between languages. Their problem
is that no one else on earth uses their systems. They can be left to Heaven.

If you want to communicate with the public beyond the walls of the Academy,
then use the Board of Geographic Names system. Within the Academy, LC.

But, by all means, please refrain from even contemplating using your own
system. Communication requires that our signals remain standard ones. (We
should not have to put up with "oo" for the Russian "y", for example.) The
three sets of transliteration commonly used are described and shown on pp
633,634  The Russian Context.

Which see, I might say.

Cheers,

Genevra

http://www.GenevraGerhart.com

ggerhart at comcast.net

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