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М-а-а-а-сква

English translation: a-a-a-a-a

00:43 May 26, 2015
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Other
Russian term or phrase: М-а-а-а-сква
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.
The Misha
Local time: 10:00
English translation:a-a-a-a-a
Explanation:
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.


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

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

Rachel Douglas
United States
Local time: 10:00
Grading 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.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1a-a-a-a-a
Rachel Douglas
3Mars cow
Jack Doughty
3Moscarw
Vladimir Zakharov


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Mars cow


Explanation:
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.

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:00
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 417
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you, Sir. I like that Spanish vache.

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1 day 13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Moscarw


Explanation:
(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.

Vladimir Zakharov
Russian Federation
Local time: 17:00
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 60
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2 days 1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
a-a-a-a-a


Explanation:
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.


Rachel Douglas
United States
Local time: 10:00
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 212
Grading 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.
Notes to answerer
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:)

Asker: 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.

Asker: Yes, M-a-a-a-s-cow


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cyhul
9 days
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