DZINTRA ŠULCE

University of Liepāja, Latvia

PROBLEMATIC CASES IN WRITING PROPER NAMES FROM OTHER LANGUAGES IN LATVIAN

All languages, including Latvian, face difficulties in pronouncing and writing proper names. Problems arise both when Latvian proper names are used in another language and when proper names from other languages are written in Latvian.

In practice, the writing of proper names from other languages was already necessary from the very first printed texts in Latvian, but a scientifically grounded discussion among linguists about the most suitable writing principles began in the second half of the 19th century (Bergmane, Blinkena 1986: 97). J. Alunans was the first to propose the phonetic principle as the main one for writing foreign proper names. He also suggested adding Latvian word endings and, in certain cases, writing the names in the original language in parentheses. The linguists K. Mīlenbahs and J. Endzelīns subsequently developed J. Alunans’s proposals successfully. These principles are universal and have remained relevant to this day. Words from other languages are still written according to their pronunciation in the original language, but using Latvian alphabet letters; proper names rendered in this way are incorporated into the grammatical system of Latvian, that is, Latvianized.

A study of the history of language shows that, in earlier times, proper names of other peoples were translated into Latvian. The translation principle means adapting the works of fiction and folklore, historical events, individuals, and so on of another people to the characteristics and particular ways of understanding of one’s own people and country (usually by translating them). Under this principle, the names of certain historical figures, mostly monarchs, are used, for example: the Russian tsar Jānis Briesmīgais, also Bargais, Asiņainais, now – Ivans Bargais (Ivan the Terrible); the tsar Pēteris Pirmais (Peter the Great); the Swedish king Kārlis Lielais (Charles the Great); the 13th-century king of England Jānis Bezzemis, now – Džons Plantagenets, saukts Bezzemis (orig. John Plantagenet, the Lackland; Lith. John Plantagenet). This kind of translation (sometimes alongside the original) is currently popular

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in journalism; this was precisely what the writer M. Svire did when publishing her account of a trip to Brazil, Orchidėjos po mėlynu žiemos dangumi (2004). She justifies her choice to present foreign place names in this way as follows: “I would like to give the names of places in the original language so that the attentive reader might notice how similar the ways of thinking of the first settlers and the original inhabitants of the country were” (p. 8). However, the writer also translates them into Latvian alongside the originals, for example: Grupo Verde – Zaļā grupa (Green Group; p. 90).

There is a precedent principle: its essence is to write a proper name as it was first written in Latvian (DNZS 2003: 33), since excessively frequent changes in the spelling of proper names hinder the reader. For example, the surname of the English writer Džono Golsverzio (orig. John Galsworthy, Lith. John Galsworthy) has changed in Latvian as many as eight times since 1910.

In literature, foreign proper names are creatively rendered in certain cases. This is done when an author has created personal names in the relevant original language using special phonetic devices to convey a shade of meaning, a nuance, or a mood. This could be lost if the names were rendered according to the phonetic principle. A commonly cited example of such creativity is U. Bērziņš’s translation of the section Snorri Sturluson (Latv. Snorre Sturlasons)’s mythological and poetic treatise Edda, Gilves acumalds (The Enchantment of Giulvi; GA 1997): Gaitgājis, Vaigkvēpis, Zeltpiere (compound words that cannot be translated into other languages, individual neologisms). Another example is the translation of the names of characters in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books: Cūkkārpa (orig. Hogwarts), Salazars Slīdenis (orig. Salazar Slytherin, Lith. Salazar Slytherin), Vaidu Vaira (orig. Moaning Myrtle, Lith. Moaning Myrtle), and others (DNZS 2003: 33).

If proper names in the original language are written in a non-Latin alphabet, they are transliterated, for example: Sergejs Rebrovs, Rūdolfs Nurijevs, Mihails Ba-rišņikovs.

Generally speaking, the writing of proper names from other languages in Latvian is standardized and regulated, but the phonetic principle is increasingly criticized. Professor J. Endzelīns wrote about writing surnames in Latvian: “...every cultured nation adapts foreign surnames to some extent to its own spelling. Our legislators should see to it that in Latvian state institutions, starting with schools, surnames are also written according to the principles of our orthography” (Endzelīns 1921: 26 Apr.). In the Republic of Latvia, during the 1930s and 1940s, rules were drawn up for writing surnames (including borrowed surnames) in Latvian documents—

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…rules, a surname spelling dictionary was published (Uzvārdu pareizrakstības vārdnīca, 1927; led by E. Blese, docent at the University of Latvia). After the Second World War, considerable effort went into preparing serial publications on the spelling and pronunciation of foreign words from individual languages in Latvian – Norādījumi par citvalodu īpašvārdu pareizrakstību un pareizrunu latviešu literārajā valodā; also worth mentioning is the work published in 1999, Par vārdu un uzvārdu lietošanu un rakstību latviešu literārajā valodā.

The most recent guidelines have been incorporated into the rules adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia concerning the spelling and use of personal names in Latvian, as well as their identification – Noteikumi par personvārdu rakstību un lietošanu latviešu valodā, kā arī to identifikāciju (Noteikumi 2004: 27–38), which emphasize that personal names are part of the grammatical system of Latvian: their gender, number, and case are expressed by inflected endings, and the ending changes according to context.

Latvian has two main principles for the use and spelling of personal names: 1) a person’s sex in personal names of both Latvian and foreign origin (except indeclinable personal names) is indicated by declinable masculine or feminine endings; 2) personal names from other languages are written in Latvian according to their pronunciation in the original language and adapted to the grammatical system of Latvian.

However, there is currently increasing opposition to adapting first and last names to the grammatical system of Latvian and adding the corresponding endings. For example, the case of Latvia resident Lidijos Kuharec was referred to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, on the grounds that her right to respect for private life had been violated because the appropriate ending had been added to her surname in her Latvian passport – Kuhareca (Diena, 2001 07 27); a similar case concerned the surname Makeičik, which was entered in the Latvian passport with an ending – Ilona Makeičika.

Errors, inaccuracies, and deviations from original personal names may arise because of other, that is, intermediary, languages. For a long time, Russian served as the intermediary language; in turn, today’s enthusiasm for English has created new problems. Sometimes the spelling of proper names from other languages departs from the accepted basic principles. Such exceptions include, for example, traditionally established spellings: Gēteborga (Gothenburg; according to pronunciation it would be Jēteborja), Parīze (Paris; according to pronunciation it would be Parī), as well as some translated or partly translated geographical names, e.g.: Jaungvineja (New Guinea), Dienvidslāvija (Yugoslavia), Lielie Ezeri (the Great Lakes) (Būss 1980: 94–98).

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Changes to phonetic adaptation in proper names should be evaluated carefully. Usually, a conflict between an older, traditional spelling and a new proposal arises when an attempt is made to reproduce the pronunciation of the original language more accurately, e.g., the change of vowels in the words Íslande, until 2006 – Islande (Iceland), islandieši, until 2006 – islandieši (Icelanders), or the Swedish writer’s name and surname, Selma Lagerlöf (orig. Selma Lagerlöf, now Latvian Selma Lāgerlēva), being brought closer to the original language (formerly Latvian Zelma Lāgerlefa).

Latvian linguists continually debate the choice of the most appropriate principles for spelling proper names from other languages. Each principle has its advantages and disadvantages. Reading recent Latvian publications, one can observe that proper names and titles from other languages are mostly written according to the established phonetic principle; readers can therefore obtain information fairly quickly and in an accessible form, without this impeding clear comprehension of the content. When a foreign personal name appears in a text for the first time, its original form is often given in parentheses in a different typeface, while only the Latvian form is used thereafter, e.g.: “Feliksa Valotona (Felix Vallotton) glezna, kas tapusi 1907. gadā” (Felix Vallotton’s (Felix Vallotton) painting, created in 1907) (50 PPP 2001: 170). This way of writing is undoubtedly most beneficial to the reader, who can easily understand the text and at the same time expand their knowledge of foreign languages. Admittedly, this method of writing (Latvian form + original form) requires a great deal of work and burdens the author, since it requires knowledge of the relevant foreign language as well as time to ensure that both forms are written accurately and correctly. As ties between countries and languages expand, increasing attention is being paid to writing proper names in their original language.

Attempts to apply the principle of original spelling in practice have also often proved just as problematic and imperfect as the criticized phonetic spelling principle. Shifting practices for using proper names from other languages can cause confusion, since thousands of proper names have already become established and stabilized in the language—from Caesar (Latvian Cēzars, orig. Caesar) and Shakespeare (Latvian Šekspīrs, orig. Shakespeare) to George Bush (Latvian Džordžs Bušs, orig. George Bush) and Mr. Bean (Latvian misters Bīns, orig. Mr. Bean). Changing their Latvian spelling would cause practical problems and even emotional dissatisfaction. Conversely, if even some familiar proper names are allowed to retain their traditional spelling, it will often become impossible to determine whether a particular spelling represents the pronunciation of the original language or its original spelling (Bušs 2008: 96).

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Often, problems arise when writing proper names in which diacritical marks are used in the original language. In practice, these are often not marked, although the use of additional diacritical marks?

Bušs O. 2008: Īpašvārdi kā problēma valodas politikā. – Etniskums Eiropā: sociālpolitiskie un kultūras procesi, Rēzekne: Rēzeknes Augstskola, 92–96.

DNZS 2003: Dāņu, norvēģu, zviedru un somu īpašvārdu atveide latviešu valodā, Rīga: Norden AB, 13–35.

Endzelīns J. 1921: Par uzvārdu rakstību latviešu valodā. – Latvijas Sargs, 26. apr.

Norādījumi 1960–1982: Norādījumi par citvalodu īpašvārdu pareizrakstību un pareizrunu latviešu literārajā valodā, I–XV, Rīga: Zinātne.

Noteikumi 2004: Noteikumi par personvārdu rakstību un lietošanu latviešu valodā, kā arī to identifikāciju. – Latvijas Vēstnesis, 6. burtnīca, 5. marts, 27–38.

Ozols A., Kuškis J. 1967: Par latīniskās grafikas citvalodu nosaukumu un teicienu rakstīšanu. – Latviešu valodas kultūras jautājumi, 3. laidiens, Rīga: Liesma, 5–12.

Par vārdu 1999: Par vārdu un uzvārdu lietošanu un rakstību latviešu literārajā valodā, Rīga: LR Valsts valodas centrs.

Skujiņa V. 1999: Latviešu valoda lietišķajos rakstos, Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC.

Staburova J. 2005: Ķīniešu valodas īpašvārdu atveide latviešu valodā. – Valodas prakse: vērojumi un ieteikumi, Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds, 87–100.

Strautiņa V., Šulce Dz. 2009: Latviešu valodas pareizruna un pareizrakstība, Rīga: RaKa.

Šulce Dz. 2009: Oriģinālrakstījumi latviešu valodā. – Valodas prakse: vērojumi un ieteikumi, Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds, 91–99.

Received 2010 10 28

PROBLEMATIC CASES OF RENDERING BORROWED PROPER NAMES INTO LATVIAN

Summary

Problematic character of spelling and pronunciation of proper names becomes apparent in all languages, including Latvian, a cognate language of Lithuanian. Difficulties arise both when words of Latvian origin are used in another language and when rendering borrowed proper names into Latvian.

Scientifically based principles of rendering borrowed proper names into Latvian were defined in the second half of the 19^th century. These principles bear a sufficiently universal character and they have preserved their topicality even nowadays. Borrowed proper names still follow the pronunciation rules of the original

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language, only letters of the Latvian alphabet are used in their spelling, and the rendered proper names are included into the Latvian grammar system.

Language history shows that early borrowed personal names were localised and translated into Latvian. It means adjustment of literary and folklore pieces, historic events, personalities etc. to the singularity of the given nation, of the country and specific character of perception.

When proper names of the original language are not written in Latin letters, they are transliterated in Latvian. The spelling of the borrowed proper names in Latvian, taken as a whole, is fixed and complies with the rules; however, deviations from the pronunciation principle become more frequent, especially in cases of personal names of foreign origin.

Mistakes, inaccuracies and deviations from the original version of proper names can be caused by the influence of other languages. For quite a long time, Russian was used as an intermediary language; nowadays new problems arise from the strong infatuation with English versions.

Latvialisation of borrowed proper names according to their pronunciation, with the original form enclosed in brackets, is mentioned as the most optimal principle of rendering borrowed proper names. In such cases this will certainly bring most benefit to the reader, for whom the text might become easier to perceive. With contacts between countries and languages developing, in practice more attention is given to the original spelling of proper names.

DZINTRA ŠULCE

Liepājas Universitāte

Kūrmājas prosp. 13, LV-3401 Liepāja

[email protected]

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