pronun. of "Medvedev" - a solution

[Frans Suasso]

You are reinventing the wheel. There is such a database. It is called 
BBC-pronounciation unit, It even can be consulted on l;ine. Google for BBC 
Prounciation unit, and you will see what I mean.
But if newsreaders do not consult it, there is not so much management can do 
about it.

Frans Suasso, Naarden the Netherlands
(former director of programs of Radio Netherlands International, and 
slavist)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Langran" <john at RUSLAN.CO.UK>
To: <SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 8:27 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] pronun. of "Medvedev" - a solution


> This transliteration business is a nightmare, especially here in the UK 
> where there are so many regional accents. We could discuss it until the 
> cows come home. The obvious thing to do is to set up a web page for 
> journalists etc to help them pronounce the important names. I'll start 
> work on something like this in the next couple of weeks and will let 
> colleagues know when it is ready. Then each time there is a new difficult 
> to pronounce tennis player etc I can add to the page. If any native 
> speakers (one male one female) would like to send me sound files for 
> Dmitrii Anatol'evich Medvedyev to start off with, that would be excellent, 
> thanks in advance. Please send off list to john at ruslan.co.uk
>
> John Langran
> www.ruslan.co.uk
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Emily Saunders" <emilka at MAC.COM>
> To: <SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU>
> Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 6:59 PM
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] FW: [SEELANGS] pronun. of "Medvedev" (cont.)
>
>
>>I must disagree.  When I read the bit below with standard US English 
>>pronunciation I get the awkward way radio announcers are currently 
>>pronouncing his name.  Our short "e" is just not the same "yeh" sound 
>>that you get when a stressed Russian "e" is followed by a soft  consonant. 
>>(Witness the difference in pronunciation between est' and  est -- есть и 
>>ест.)
>>
>> I would propose the following:
>>
>> Mid-VEH-dyiff
>> Mid-VAY-dyiff
>>
>> Or
>>
>> Med-VEH-def
>> Med-VAY-def
>>
>> How one renders the first and final syllables is pretty much a toss-up 
>> since they get reduced anyway.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Emily Saunders
>>
>>
>> On Mar 2, 2008, at 10:32 AM, Jerry Katsell wrote:
>>
>>> Here's another vote for "med - VED - yeff," with which I think  ordinary
>>> folks possessing no Russian could with reasonable approximation
>>> pronounce the name Medvedev.
>>>
>>
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