Pronunciation

===**The Simple Actor's Guide to Pronouncing Chekhov's Names** ===  Does it matter how actors pronounce Russian names when they are acting Chekhov's plays in English? I think it does, and that's not just because I'm a Russian speaker or a pedant (or possibly both). Nobody minds how the names of characters in Shakespeare or Brecht are pronounced, but Chekhov's plays are different. Not only are they firmly anchored in the theatrical tradition of late 19th century naturalism, but the characters Chekhov created are universal __because__ they are so tied to time and place -- Russia on the eve of the 1905 revolution, with its rapid social change and class upheavals. In this context, I think it's right for actors who don't speak Russian to try to get the names to sound authentic by getting the stress on the correct syllables. Russian is a beautiful language, and jars on the ear when it's mispronounced. When even actors as cerebral as Simon Russell Beale struggle to get it right during celebrations of Chekhov's anniversary, then I think there's a need for a handy guide. Broadly speaking, Russian names can be pronounced as they are transliterated, though there are one or two pitfalls for the unwary. In The Seagull Konstantin's surname is sometimes written Treplev, but it's pronounced Treply__o__v. Another character is Semen Semenovich, but the first name and patronymic are pronounced Semy__o__n Semy__o__novich. What's a patronymic? For men and women, it's a middle name based on the name of the father. Every Russian has one. So __A__nna P__a__vlovna is Anna, the daughter of P__a__vel. Chekhov was Ant__o__n P__a__vlovich. First name and patronymic are the normal mode of address between people who know each other but aren't intimate friends or close relatives. Translators of Chekhov often drop the patronymic altogether, but I like to hear it used. I think the different ways his characters address each other help signifythe degree of social and emotional distance between them. Without the patronymic, it's sometimes hard to get the tone right. A surname on its own can be too formal and a Christian name on its own too intimate. The key to pronouncing Russian names is getting the stress on the right syllable -- which is much more pronounced in Russian than in English or French. Russian dictionaries and language textbooks give stress marks, though they aren't normally printed anywhere else. There few firm rules about stress, though getting it wrong can change the meaning of a word. When you learn Russian, you pick it up as you go along. One reason it's important is that unstressed vowels sometimes change their sound. The Russian word for Moscow is Moskv__a__, with the stress on the second syllable, but the actual pronunciation is Maskv__a.__ One name that's hard to get right for English speakers is Boris, pronounced Bar__is__with the stress on the second syllable -- NOT as in Boris Johnson. So here is a stress-free stress guide to the characters' names in Chekhov's major plays -- The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. The next time I watch a Chekhov play I shall be listening hard to see who gets it right. THE SEAGULL -- Ir__i__na Nikol__a__yevna Ark__a__dina (formerly Treply__o__va), Konstant__i__n Gavr__i__lovich Treply__o__v (K__o__stya), Pyotr Nikol__a__yevich S__o__rin, N__i__na Mikh__ai__lovna Zar__e__chnaya, Ily__a__ Afan__a__syevich Shamr__a__yev, Pol__i__na Andr__e__yevna, M__a__sha, Bor__i__s Aleks__e__yevich Trig__o__rin, Yevg__e__ny Serg__e__yevich Dorn, Semy__o__n Semy__o__novich Medved__e__nko, Y__a__kov UNCLE VANYA -- Aleks__a__ndr Vlad__i__mirovich Serebryak__o__v, Yel__e__na Andr__e__yevna, Sof__i__ya Alex__a__ndrovna (S__o__nya), Mar__i__ya Vas__i__levna Voin__i__tskaya, Iv__a__n Petr__o__vich Voin__i__tsky (V__a__nya), Mikha__i__l Lv__o__vich__A__strov, Ily__a__ Ily__i__ch Tel__e__gin, Mar__i__na THREE SISTERS -- Andr__e__i Serg__e__yevich Pr__o__zorov, Nat__a__lya Iv__a__novna (Nat__a__sha), __O__lga Serg__e__yevna, M__a__riya Serg__e__yevna (M__a__sha), Ir__i__na Serg__e__yevna, Fy__o__dor Ily__i__ch Kul__y__gin, Aleks__a__ndr Ign__a__tyevich Versh__i__nin, Nikol__ai__ Lv__o__vich T__u__zenbach, Vas__i__ly Vas__i__lyevich Soly__o__ny, Iv__a__n Rom__a__novich Chebut__y__kin, Aleks__e__i Petr__o__vich Fed__o__tik, Vlad__i__mir K__a__rlovich R__o__de, Ferap__o__nt Spirid__o__novich, Anf__i__sa THE CHERRY ORCHARD -- Lyub__o__v Andr__e__yevna Rany__e__vskaya, __A__nya, V__a__rya, Leon__i__d Andr__e__yevich G__a__yev, Yermol__ai__ Aleks__e__yevich Lop__a__khin, Pyotr Serg__e__yevich Trof__i__mov, Bor__i__s Bor__i__sovich Semy__o__nov-P__i__schchik, Charl__o__tta Iv__a__novna, Semy__o__n Pantel__e__yevich Yepikh__o__dov, Duny__a__sha, Feers, Y__a__sha    ===****Clic here for the original Web page pronunciation ** ** ===