2018, Volume 15, Issue 1

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Regina Kvašytė
Šiauliai University
Šiauliai, Lithuania

Theory and Practice of Rendering Foreign Proper Names into Lithuanian and Latvian

Voprosy onomastiki, 2018, Volume 15, Issue 1, pp. 155–167 (in Russian)
DOI: 10.15826/vopr_onom.2018.15.1.007

Received 25 April 2017

Abstract: The article aims to study theoretical provisions of rendering foreign personal names into the related Lithuanian and Latvian languages and to compare their practical implementations. In Lithuanian, the general practice is that of using a source language form of the name, with fewer cases of their adaptation to the rules of Lithuanian spelling and pronunciation. Yet still, there is an ongoing discussion in Lithuania whether the norms of such adaptation require revision. It should also be noted that the usage of personal names in the Lithuanian language depends on the functional style of the text. In the Latvian language, the tradition has established to write proper names in letters of Latvian alphabet, conveying the specifi city of their pronunciation, if possible. In addition, such cases are subject to the general rules of names and surnames usage in the Latvian language, that is, foreign personal names are spelt according to the grammatical norms of the Latvian language. The comparative analysis of foreign personal names rendering strategies in both Baltic languages has found the trend of using source language forms to prevail in Lithuanian (this extends even to Latvian personal names, which, by now, were exceptionally adapted). In Latvia, currently, the theoretically founded and established norms are at no risk of rejection. However, despite the long-term and deliberate pursuit for standardization and alignment of foreign names translation methods in the Latvian language (with guidelines issued, etc.), in practice, there are still considerable constraints to that. The article addresses some of them.

Keywords: Lithuanian language, Latvian language, anthroponymy, foreign personal names and surnames, translation strategies

References

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Kvašytė, R. (1999). Inostrannye imena sobstvennye v latyshskikh tekstakh [Foreign Proper Names in Latvian Texts]. In S. M. Prokhorova (Ed.), Natsional’no-kul’turnyi komponent v tekste i iazyke: materialy II Mezhdunar. nauch. konf. [The National-Cultural Component in the Text and in the Language: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference] (Vol. 3, pp. 26–29). Minsk : BGU.

Kvašytė, R. (2012). Lietuviešu un latviešu personvārdu atveides gramatiskie aspekti [Grammar Aspects of Lithuanian and Latvian Names Rendering]. In L. Baluodė, & V. Butkus (Eds.), Tarp Lietuvos ir Latvijos: lingvistinės paralelės / Starp Lietuvu un Latviju: lingvistiskās paralēles [In-between Lithuania and Latvia: Linguistic Parallels] (pp. 451–461). Šiauliai: VšĮ Šiaulių universiteto leidykla.

Kvašytė, R. (2014). Latvių kalbos tikriniai žodžiai lietuviškai: normos ir jų kaita [Latvian Proper Names in Lithuanian]. In O. L. Gudzinevičiūtė (Ed.), Gimtoji kalba mokykloje II [Native Language at School 2] (pp. 42–49). Šiauliai: Lucilijus.