Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Canada

fizzix137

(21 posts)

3. Not certain this is correct.

Reply to Spazito (Original post)

Fri Mar 4, 2022, 12:51 PM

Mar 2022

When I learned Russian many years ago we all had trouble correctly pronouncing Kiev. As Americans, we said kee EV. The spelling in Russian is phonetically k ee yeh v, with stress on the first syllable. The unstressed ye becomes more like an ee and a v at the end loses its "voice" and becomes an f. So something like kee-eef results. We usually said keeEV among ourselves since it was so ingrained in us. It's been decades since I knew much Russian so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

17 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

'Kyiv' or 'Kiev' -- Here's why the difference is political [View all] Spazito Mar 2022 OP

A serious distinction. Just like Ukraine vs the Ukraine. niyad Mar 2022 #1

Yes, both are important distinctions for sure... Spazito Mar 2022 #2

Not certain this is correct. fizzix137 Mar 2022 #3

If you listen to the video in this article you might find it... Spazito Mar 2022 #5

I had a family member posted to Kyiv - she corrected my pronunciation many times - and I learned. erronis Mar 2022 #9

For consistency, we should also be using the Ukrainian spellings COL Mustard Mar 2022 #14

Thank you, barbtries Mar 2022 #4

I didn't understand the difference either until reading this... Spazito Mar 2022 #6

In my mind Kiev belongs to the era of the Soviet Union. mwooldri Mar 2022 #7

Well said! Spazito Mar 2022 #8

Well, I don't order Beijing Duck anymore either. Miss it tho. erronis Mar 2022 #10

Some things didn't change with Beijing/Peking. mwooldri Mar 2022 #12

I'd also like to know the correct transliteration of "Zelenskyy" nuxvomica Mar 2022 #11

BUT correct Ukrainian transcription is KYJIV! TomWilm Mar 2022 #13

As far as pronunciation, I wish I could find the video Laura PourMeADrink Mar 2022 #15

There is a video in this article doing exactly that... Spazito Mar 2022 #16

Thanks you're right that's it. Thank you so much Laura PourMeADrink Mar 2022 #17