May 26, 2015 00:43
8 yrs ago
Russian term

М-а-а-а-сква

Russian to English Art/Literary Other
I would like to hear opinions by natives and equivalents on how to best render in English the condescending and somewhat contemptuous tone inherent in any such attempts at replicating the typical Moscovian "akanye" (Glyaadi, myaaaduza! Net, eto kryaaaavetka" - that's the tease I remember from my kiddy year on the Black Sea) in writing. The way I see it, it doesn't even have to be phonic. It just has to be a tease, and it has to be natural. I thought of Mooskva or Mooscovy but decided against it - who ever saw a moose around Moscow, and anyway, it would have to be bears, right? As I was writing this, I also thought of the Ack! Ack! Ack! of the Martians in that hilarious old movie with Jack Nicholson, but it lacks an "s" in the middle - it would have to be Ask! Ask! Ask! to make Ma-ask-ask-ask-va. It sounds fairly artificial too. Any other ideas? Muchos gracias.

Discussion

The Misha (asker) May 26, 2015:
Ну какой же Вам тут контекст, Светлана? Какой угодно контекст. Из самой Ма-а-а-сквы человек. Большой пуриц.
svetlana cosquéric May 26, 2015:
a контекст? :)
Katerina O. May 26, 2015:
Миша, вот именно так, как вы пишите, мЯдуза и крЯветка, говорят в Рязани. В Маскве акают безударную О.
The Misha (asker) May 26, 2015:
That might work, thanks. Except I still see a moose-cow where there should be a bear:) Let's see what other folks may think.
Donald Jacobson May 26, 2015:
Moos-cow just a random thought from the dairy state

Proposed translations

+1
2 days 1 min
Selected

a-a-a-a-a

Just turn the short "o" into a string of "a". I wouldn't try to add on any loaded allusions to Mars or cows going moo, or else the reader will suppose that there's some such allusion in the Russian. It's enough to make clear that it's some sort of habitual broadening of the vowel.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days16 hrs (2015-05-28 17:40:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Misha, yes, I know that. I was taught Russian pronunciation by a княгиня who had graduated from Smolny and held that "когда я умру, русский язык со мною исчезнет" (at least that's how I remember it; perhaps her wording was more exquisite), and when I subsequently arrived in Leningrad to attend Russian-language courses for foreign students, one of the instructors was from Moscow, and I couldn't understand anything she said. Not only because of аканье, but because she seemed to speak without opening her mouth. All I'm saying is that even if it has a particular funny sound to non-Muscovites, I think it would be better not to load down the attempt to render that with some oddball allusions, or to make it sound like some particular regional accent in English.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2015-05-30 20:30:28 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Oh, - I didn't write it, but never intended to propose not writing "-cow" at the end of the word, since that's how the name of the city is written in English already. Or, do you mean you're going to split it off as as a separate word, something like "Ma-a-a-a-s cow", versus "Ma-a-a-a-scow"? Just wondering.
Note from asker:
Thanks, Rachel. The problem with this is that it's not just a regional way of speaking but a very funny one too for anyone who does not speak this way (think Texas drawl or the pseudo-Brits of Boston and the like). That in itself produces a truckload of attitude and sneering on the part of non-Moscovians, and a simple a-a-a-a-a leaves all that by the wayside. At this point, I have pretty much settled on M-a-a-as-cow anyway (no, no Mars), but I want some extra spice on that too. Maybe I am just partial to cows:)
Thank you, Rachel. I will defer to your native judgment on this but I am keeping the cow too - which is easy since it's already there:) For that invaluable contribution to the sum total, I thank you again, Sir Jack. I wish I could split the points here.
Yes, M-a-a-a-s-cow
Peer comment(s):

agree cyhul
9 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Ooops, posted the grading comment in the wrong window. Here it is again: Thank you, Rachel. I will defer to your native judgment on this but I am keeping the cow too - which is easy since it's already there:) For that invaluable contribution to the sum total, I thank you again, Sir Jack. I wish I could split the points here. "
6 hrs

Mars cow

Марсианская корова.

A cow is used in a French expression about people who speak French badly:
"Il parle français comme une vache espagnole" (he speaks French like a Spanish cow). I think maybe it could work here too.
Note from asker:
Thank you, Sir. I like that Spanish vache.
Something went wrong...
1 day 13 hrs

Moscarw

(or Moscahw). Don't like "Mars cow", because it doesn't prolong the [a] sound in the English word rather than replacing [ɑ] with [a]. So I thought it's better to immitate the accent on the other [a] of the English word. Doesn't look too good, though.
Something went wrong...
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search