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Re: Kinbote: camouflage or coincidence? -in = -ine; X = K
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>>>>>>But VN specifically says (as recently quoted in this discussion)
that K's
real name is "Botkin or Botkine"
This indication simply reflects alternative European transliterations.
Many Russian surnames have double (or more) spelling depending on which
language they are transliterated into. The name owner usually indicates
which spelling (s)he prefers.
The "e" in the end, which is absent in Russian, comes from French
traditional transliteration for Russian surnames ending in "-in".
For example, the famous choreographer Fokin became Fokine; modern
Russian author writing in France Andrei Makin is spelled Makine; etc.
Similar situation existed with the "-ov" ending rendered as "-off" but
this now became very old-fashioned.
X = K :
Incidentally, I was always amused how the Russian hard "H" (Cyrillic X,
pronounced "KH") was often simplified to "K" in American spelling
resulting in an emasculated "Krushchev" or an incredible "CheKov" (both
original Anton and, I assume, intended Pavel), which to a Russian ear
immediately evokes CheKa (future NKVD) and chek ("check").
Victor Fet
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that K's
real name is "Botkin or Botkine"
This indication simply reflects alternative European transliterations.
Many Russian surnames have double (or more) spelling depending on which
language they are transliterated into. The name owner usually indicates
which spelling (s)he prefers.
The "e" in the end, which is absent in Russian, comes from French
traditional transliteration for Russian surnames ending in "-in".
For example, the famous choreographer Fokin became Fokine; modern
Russian author writing in France Andrei Makin is spelled Makine; etc.
Similar situation existed with the "-ov" ending rendered as "-off" but
this now became very old-fashioned.
X = K :
Incidentally, I was always amused how the Russian hard "H" (Cyrillic X,
pronounced "KH") was often simplified to "K" in American spelling
resulting in an emasculated "Krushchev" or an incredible "CheKov" (both
original Anton and, I assume, intended Pavel), which to a Russian ear
immediately evokes CheKa (future NKVD) and chek ("check").
Victor Fet
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm