Belarus adjective

topic posted Fri, February 9, 2007 - 9:46 AM by  Craig
Comrades:

How do you pronounce the adjective from Belarus?

I don't know enough of the linguistic differences between Belaruski (I'm guessing) and Russian, but since the country is called Belarus and not Belarussia or byalarosiya, I'm guessing I should call the language Belarusian, pronouncing is "bell-ah-ROO-see-uhn."

Sonya, are you out there?

Craig in Arcata
posted by:
Craig
California
  • Re: Belarus adjective

    Fri, February 9, 2007 - 11:50 AM
    Belarus is the russian name, meaning roughly White Russia. Since the "russia" is modified it is "rus". "Russia" is not called "Russia" in Russian in teh same way.

    Bellarussian is what i've always heard
    • Re: Belarus adjective

      Mon, February 12, 2007 - 9:36 AM
      Not quite true -- Belarus (cyrillic Беларус) is the Belarusian term... the long form is Belaruskaia Respublika) the Russians call/ed it Belorus, or Belorusskaia Respublika.

      The CIA, for what it's worth, now uses Belarusian, as distinct from the old Russian/Soviet term Belorussian.
    • Re: Belarus adjective

      Mon, February 12, 2007 - 9:44 AM
      Well, that's my point. If it were standard Russki, wouldn't it be Byalarosiya? I figured the pronunciation was akin to the South Slavic changes, such as in Bulgarian or Serbian, where vowels in Russian are "a' or "ya' turn to "e". I'm sure the two languages are semi-mutually intelligible, like Russian and Ukrainian, but I don't know where the differences lie.

      Craig in Arcata
      • Re: Belarus adjective

        Mon, February 12, 2007 - 10:27 PM
        As far as pronunciation is concerned, it sounds a lot like its East Slavic cousins -- more like Ukrainian than Russian, in that there's no 'g' sound, and the equivalent letter is pronounced like an h. But, then again, there's the distinctly West Slavic-sounding 'u kratkaia,' like the Polish crossed l, that imparts a /w/ sound.

        Byel- is byel- for white throughout the East Slavic world, as far as I know, and Belarusian historians are fond of pointing out that the concept of Rus' (see Kievan, etc.) as a Slavic polity predates or is distinct from the concept of Rossiya. Whether this is just nationalist fabrication I couldn't say. I've never seen a Russian-language document referring to Byelorossiya anywhere that I can think of, just to Belorusskaia respublika.
        • Re: Belarus adjective

          Tue, February 13, 2007 - 8:54 AM
          Daniel, thanks!

          Hm. I seem to recall the subtitles to the Eisenstein 30's film, Aleksandr Nevsky referring to "Rus," not "Russia".

          Craig in Arcata
          • Re: Belarus adjective

            Tue, March 6, 2007 - 10:57 AM
            Well, what is now Ukraine, Poland, Belorus and parts of Russia were, for centuries, known as Rus', Kievan Rus', or just Ruskaya Zemlya. Linguists arent entirely sure as to the etymology of the word Rus', but it has been posited that it is from the scandinavian word for "rowers".

            As for why it is called Belorus, it was nicknamed such in the 16th century when the tsar was known as Emperor of All Russias, Great, Little, and White.
            • Re: Belarus adjective

              Tue, March 6, 2007 - 11:40 AM
              Sonyatchka!

              I've been waiting for your input on this! :-D

              Thanks so much! You've also answered my long simmering question about the phrase "Tsar of all the Russias." I'd heard the phrase, but didn't really know what it referred to.

              So I imagine Great Russia is Russia as we think of it, White Russia is Belorus, leaving . . "Little Russia" is, what, Ukraine?

              Craig in Little Arcata

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