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The characters that will be discussed in our top are familiar to each of us. But it is not a fact that each of us knows how to write their names in Russian correctly.
In this article, we will not only tell you the grammatically correct spelling, but also explain what rules of the Russian language the names of fictional characters fall under.
Let’s figure out when it is worth putting a proper hyphen in the name, when “e” should be replaced with “e”, and when you just need to remember the spelling of the name, because it does not fall under any grammar rules.
10 Spiderman, Ant-Man
To determine the linguistically correct spelling of the names of these superheroes, you need to remember one Russian winged insect, namely the fly. Muhu-tsokotuhu, whose name is written with a hyphen and only the first word starts with an uppercase letter, and the word after the hyphen starts with a lowercase letter.
Spider-Man and Ant-Man fit this rule, so the characters’ names should always be hyphenated, and “Spider” and “Ant” should always be lowercase.
9. Batman, Superman
Now let’s talk about the superheroes of the DC universe – Batman and Superman. In the names of these characters, amateurs often make a mistake. Especially in the Russian version of spelling, because it is almost impossible to figure out where it is more appropriate to use “e”, and where “e” is. It remains to be remembered.
In Russian, there is a rule for some words: if “e” is pronounced, then “e” is written. Everything is clear with Superman: instead of the audible “e”, we write “e”.
But for Batman, there are as many as three spellings! “Batman”, “Batman” and “Batman”. But only the option with one “e” in the first half of the name is considered correct: Bat-man. The rest are not recognized by linguists and reference books, and therefore are considered erroneous.
8. Aladdin, Genie
“Aladdin” and “Genie” are the correct spellings of these names. However, Russian-speaking editors like to add a second letter “l” to the name of a famous thief, and on the contrary, a double “n” is taken away from Genie.
Aladdin’s name comes from the Arabic “Aladdin”. It was translated by transcription, that is, the Arabic version was duplicated in Cyrillic. Remember: doubled in the name Aladdin only the letter “d”.
And the correct spelling of Genie can be remembered as follows: one “n” is written in the name of an alcoholic drink. “Gin” is what they pour at the bar. And “Djinn” is the one who will fulfill your three wishes. Do not confuse!
7. Mickey Mouse
In some spelling dictionaries, you may encounter the spelling “Mickey Mouse” with a hyphen. But this option in modern Russian is considered incorrect for a number of reasons.
Firstly, in the original Mickey Mouse is written in two words, that is, without using a hyphen. Therefore, adding a dash in the Russian version of writing is not advisable. Secondly, do not forget that Mickey Mouse is the full name of the mouse. Specifically, “Mickey” is a given name, and “Mouse” is a surname.
In Russian, there is no rule that allows you to write the full name with hyphens, we have a first name, surname and patronymic separated by spaces.
6. Koschei the Deathless
No one ever has questions about the “Immortal”, but people write the name of the evil old man in different ways. For example, Pushkin himself wrote “Kashchei” through the letter “a”, thereby securing this spelling option for many years.
But in modern Russian, the spelling of the name through the letter “o” is considered correct, the thing “Koschei” comes from the word bony.
5. The Dragon
In Russian, there is a rule for writing common names when they denote any artistic characters.
According to the rule, each word of the designation is written with a capital letter and it is unacceptable to put a hyphen between them. Serpent Gorynych, Little Red Riding Hood or Gray Wolf have a spelling variant based on the described rule.
4. Baba Yaga
Another negative character from Russian fairy tales. There are a lot of spelling options for the name “Baba Yaga”: someone writes both words with capital letters, someone with lowercase letters, and the rest believe that the name of the old woman should be written in two words, that is, without using a hyphen.
There are only two valid options. If you are talking about a grandmother living in a hut on chicken legs, then “Baba Yaga” is a proper name, written in one word with a hyphen.
If you call an abstract unpleasant grandmother a baba-yaga, then this option is written with small letters through a hyphen, that is, as a common noun.
In any case, both versions use a hyphen, so it is a mistake to write this name separately.
3. Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a children’s story written by Astrid Lindgren. In Russian-language publications, the spelling of the girl’s surname can be found in two versions: “Longstocking” and “Longstocking”. The latter option is especially common in old seals.
Now the name Pippi is written in a single word. Still, “Longstocking” is a commodity, but the integral “Longstocking” is more like a surname. In addition, in the original, the character’s surname is also written in one word – “Långstrump”.
2. Moomintroll
There are no mummies among the trolls. Mumiy Troll is a Russian rock band, and the Moomin trolls are fairy tale characters invented by Tove Jansson.
In the original, the word is spelled together. Why the Moomin trolls in the version of our language are written with a hyphen is unknown, there are no rules for this. It remains, again, just to remember the spelling and, most importantly, stop adding unnecessary “y” to the word “moomin”.
1. Severus Snape
Severus Snape, a Potions teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, acquired the surname “Snape” with the light hand of translators from the Rosman publishing house.
In the original, the professor’s surname is spelled “Snape” with a reference to the English “Snake”, which means “Snake” in translation. This, in turn, hints at the cold and nasty nature of the character.
Rowling loves to use speaking last names for her characters, so Rosman tried to convey the double meaning of the name in the process of adaptation. Literally, they didn’t call Snape a snake in the Russian translation, but Snape was considered an excellent alternative.
“Snape” in the young reader subconsciously associated with snow: cold and prickly, such as the character of the potions professor was.
But fans of the saga were not convinced by this explanation, and it is still believed that the correct spelling and pronunciation of the professor’s name is the original version – Severus Snape.