Help Needed pronouncing Skaters Names | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Help Needed pronouncing Skaters Names

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
In one of her earlier posts in this thread, Golden very kindly linked to her answer when somebody else asked the same thing in the Stupid Questions Thread back in February:



Since then, sabinfire has very kindly edited the video down to that one statement, so that Doris could add it to the Original Post of Adam's Fan Fest.

So, there you go. The answer, straight from the horse's mouth! ;) :biggrin:

CaroLiza_fan

Thank you SO much!
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
That's true. For example, concerning Yuko Kavaguti's name, I have noticed that before she began to skate for Russia her name had been mostly written at Kawaguchi (according to the standard rules of spelling Japanese names in Latin characters), but now it is almost always written as Kavaguti (because transliterated from Cyrillic letters).

I've heard more than once that Yuko made a deliberate choice to modify her name to Kavaguti -- to make it sound more quasi-Russian (and less Japanese) than Kavaguchi.

Any truth to that explanation?

ETA:
Sorry if my question is stupid, but why would Kavaguchi not have been transliterated into Russian as Кавагучи?​


... So yes, transliterations of cyrillic names is hell.

Why use Sergey with y when the Roman letter Y is so ambiguous? ...

However, for Sergei, the ei follows the English rule, "I before E except after C, or when sounded as A, as in neighbor or weigh." ...

I have no idea, honestly. But Sergey is the most commonly used version. :shrug:

To play devil's advocate:
Not so sure that "ei" would guarantee the correct pronunciation of Sergei either ... b/c of names like Leif, Neil, Keira :think:.

ETA:
I have an American friend named Leif who pronounces it as "Leef." And I don't think that he is alone?? But I suppose others stick with saying, "Layf," so not the best example.​

... Didn't know I'm that obvious. :)

BTW, I realize now how it already was in my head that you are Russian, Snow63. Yesterday I was revisiting the Mordovian Ornament thread, and saw that we previously had a conversation over there :).



Thx, sabinfire. And special thanks for including your notation of the year :).
 
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dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
USFSA's Get to Know Series...Names

Nathan Chen says his name. Champs Camp 2015
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j26LzgqiyE

Tim Dolensky says his name. Champs Camp 2015

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6yJbAvCzgY

Jordan Moeller says his name (Muller) Champs Camp 2015
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZP1cFCNeU




Zachary Donohue says his name. Champs Camp 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcnMwW3T12s

Evan Bates says his name. Champs Camp 2014
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=720UT1HwSVM

Madison Chock says her name. Champs Camp 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t13MODubE4U

Kaitlyn Hawayek says her name. Champs Camp 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIIgptKGzLU

Jean-Luc Baker says his name. Champs Camp 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAPWMdemkkE

Maia Shibutani says her name. Champs Camp 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3S6frbsvc0

I am annoyed that the two skaters I am not sure how to say the names of, Alexa Scimeca. and Chris Knierim, do not say their names.
 
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ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
This one seems fairly straight-forward, but perfect example:

Satoko Miyahara: https://youtu.be/Cha2yWNBcFM

Thx, sabinfire :bow:. Satoko's is a very worthwhile one, IMO.

(1) I can imagine several ways that her first and last names would be susceptible to mispronunciation by someone who has not had much exposure to Japanese names or Japanese words in general.

(2) And it is super-cute purely as a video selfie :).
Thanks again for including the year. When Satoko earns a place on the Olympic podium :yes:, I can imagine new fans clicking on your link and smiling over what a young darling she was.
 

borzaya

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
I've heard more than once that Yuko made a deliberate choice to modify her name to Kavaguti -- to make it sound more quasi-Russian (and less Japanese) than Kavaguchi.

Any truth to that explanation?

No idea, to be honest...:think: I don't follow Yuko too closely, so maybe she really said this somewhere, but I don't know.

ETA:
Sorry if my question is stupid, but why would Kavaguchi not have been transliterated into Russian as Кавагучи?​

It's not stupid at all :) In fact, the Russian-speakers themselves can't come to an agreement about this. The academic rules of transliterating from Japanese to Russian prescribe that the Japanese sound which is written as "ch" in Latin letters, is written as "т" in Cyrillic. (In this case it is "soft" (palatalized) "t" which is not so unlike from "ch" than you may think). That's how it's recommended in handbooks for translators, etc. But a lot of fans and journalists are more influenced by the Latin spelling and transliterate ch as ч (as they would do with English names, for example). Machida's name, for example, is more often spelled as Мачида. So, there is no consistency here.
 
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Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Thx, sabinfire :bow:. Satoko's is a very worthwhile one, IMO.

(1) I can imagine several ways that her first and last names would be susceptible to mispronunciation by someone who has not had much exposure to Japanese names or Japanese words in general.

(2) And it is super-cute purely as a video selfie :).
Thanks again for including the year. When Satoko earns a place on the Olympic podium :yes:, I can imagine new fans clicking on your link and smiling over what a young darling she was.

It's very cute... and when Satoko speaks in English she gives her name a tiny bit of an American accent. Especially on the 'o' in Satoko and the 'r' in Miyahara. --But this shows that she can pronounce the very difficult 'r' sound that bothers so many Japanese when they try to speak English. :biggrin:
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
This one seems fairly straight-forward, but perfect example:

Satoko Miyahara: https://youtu.be/Cha2yWNBcFM

THANK YOU sabinfire!!! :bow: :clap: :points:

It's so nice to hear Satoko saying her name. She has such a lovely voice!

This one in particular is a real help to me. Because, now that I've heard her saying it, maybe it'll help me remember that there is an "a" in her first name! (For some reason, I always attempt to spell it "Sotoko" :slink: )

I am annoyed that the two skaters I am not sure how to say the names of, Alexa Scimeca. and Chris Knierim, do not say their names.

But, look at all the ones you did manage to find! Including the one that always troubles me - Kaitlyn Hawayek!

As a side note, I was surprised to hear that Jean-Luc Baker has now got an American accent. (If you want to hear what a Burnley accent should sound like, here is 2003 World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson getting interviewed).

And, watching that video, I was so disappointed that Jean-Luc did not mention his name. I am dying to hear him admit that he was named after Jean-Luc Picard!!! (We all know he was, and his parents have admitted it in this story about him by Sandra Stevenson)

Getting back to the aim of this thread (finding videos of skaters saying their names), and I am so glad to see that this enterprise is gaining momentum. It looks like it'll be reaching warp-speed soon!

(I am so sorry. I know what I just said was ultra cringe-worthy, but given what I was just talking about, it was too good an opportunity to let pass by!)

CaroLiza_fan
 
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Meoima

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Does anyone know how to say her name:
Thuridur Bjorg BJORGVINSDOTTIR

Even Google translate couldn't pronounce her name. It only tells me her names means: Thuridur Bjorg Bergen daughter

So it's like Thuridur Bjorg, daughter of Bergen?
 

borzaya

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Even Google translate couldn't pronounce her name. It only tells me her names means: Thuridur Bjorg Bergen daughter

So it's like Thuridur Bjorg, daughter of Bergen?

As far as I know, "dottir" is "daughter" - so, Thuridur Bjorg, daughter of Bjorgvin (or Bjorgvins), I guess? :think:
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Some not too necessary ones fron U.S. Figure Skating, all filmed at Champs Camp in the summer of 2014
with senior Team members for the 2014-15 season. Skaters missing from this list either did not say their last name or their partner said their name for them.


Mirai Nagasu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnGmguz-R9w

Ashley Wagner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYKU6-HxJlc


Gracie Gold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGmsZc2GggE

Jeremy Abbott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTsLfKfu6SY

Douglas Razzano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl6aBaS3sxM


Ashley Cain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Wk2njdluQ

Madison Hubbell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPUBvnbTNcg

Angela Wang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGC9HyuTp4o


Max Settlage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpZwYlLK58I

Alex Shibutani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV3L1XpzLiU

Max Aaron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owi67MC9kJc

Samantha Cesario
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwaX3Cn4r98

Polina Edmunds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pJNfIUdvzg

Stephen Carriere (who pronounces his name Steven Carrier)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebCZHhwzwxA

Courtney Hicks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8mkjHtRzZU

Brandon Frazier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UhBJDUH5Q

Madeline Aaron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3MhelCyUk0

Ross Miner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJjcQC5yIks

Simon Shnapir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xov2tBokCCQ
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
Even Google translate couldn't pronounce her name. It only tells me her names means: Thuridur Bjorg Bergen daughter

So it's like Thuridur Bjorg, daughter of Bergen?

As far as I know, "dottir" is "daughter" - so, Thuridur Bjorg, daughter of Bjorgvin (or Bjorgvins), I guess? :think:

Yep, that's how traditional Scandinavian names work. Rather than having a family name that stretches back generations, your surname is actually a reference to the name of your father.

The suffix "-dóttir" means "daughter of", just like the suffix "-son" means "son of".

For example, the full name of EVERYBODY's favourite Icelandic singer ( :sarcasm: ) is Björk Guðmundsdóttir, i.e. Björk, daughter of Guðmund.

I don't know anything about Björk's family, so to show what her brothers' surname would be, I will use somebody else who had a father with the same first name. The late Icelandic ski jumper Ari Guðmundsson, who was Ari, son of Guðmund.

Returning to skating, and another Icelandic skater who was competing in Juniors last season is Júlía Grétarsdóttir.

I can't actually find any male skaters from Iceland.

Incidentally, I just looked up the name BJORGVINSSON, and there is an alpine skiier called Björgvin Björgvinsson, who was Iceland's flagbearer in Vancouver.

Of course, like using the female suffix "-ová" in Czech names, some families are not following the traditional rules any more. The tradition is so common in Iceland that I can't think of women from Iceland that don't follow it, so I will move to Sweden and bring up TV presented Ulrika Jonsson.

Now, I don't know about you, but I find it VERY strange when I come across a female Scandinavian with a male suffix to her name. But, at the end of the day, it's up to the family how they want to do things. My worry would be that the poor girl would get badly bullied when she was at school for having a "male surname".

CaroLiza_fan
 
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dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Should I wait to find someone to edit these clips down to just the person saying his or her name, or should I install them in the OPs unedited?
 
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