{"id":39,"date":"2017-09-13T23:47:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T03:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/binim.org\/?page_id=39"},"modified":"2017-11-10T21:08:49","modified_gmt":"2017-11-11T02:08:49","slug":"transliteration","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/binim.org\/index.php\/transliteration\/","title":{"rendered":"Transliteration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notes on Belarusian (Bie\u0142arusian) pronunciation and transliterations<\/h1>\n

The Bie\u0142arusian language uses two alphabets, Kirylica (Cyrillic) and \u0141acinka (Latin). The Bie\u0142arusian \u0141acinka is an umbrella term for several historical alphabets that are used to transliterate Bie\u0142arusian Cyrillic texts to Latin script. All variants of \u0141acinka incorporate diacritical marks, similar to the Czech, Polish, Serbian (in Latin conversion), and Sorbian alphabets.<\/p>\n

Though variants of \u0141acinka were used from the sixteenth century, the current study uses this term and transliteration system, based on the method elaborated by the linguist Branisla\u01d4 Tara\u0161kievi\u010d (1892\u20131938). Spelling in the Cyrillic alphabet has two versions.<\/p>\n

Tara\u0161kievica (named after Tara\u0161kievi\u010d) was prohibited by the Soviets and replaced by the Soviet Narkoma\u01d4ka, based on a Russified version of the Bie\u0142arusian language. The written Bie\u0142arusian language of the Tara\u0161kievica tradition (unlike Narkoma\u01d4ka), has its own \u0141acinka (Bie\u0142aruskaja abeceda) and Cyrillic. Tara\u0161kievi\u010d\u2019s \u0141acinka reflects the Bie\u0142arusian pronunciation better than any other since its sounds innately reflect the Bie\u0142arusian language.<\/p>\n

The reader may see various Bie\u0142arusian alphabets and transliteration systems reflected in different spellings of Bie\u0142arusian language: Byelorussian, Byelarussian, Belarusian, Bielarusan, Belarusan, and few more. Another good example is a spelling of the Bie\u0142arusian capital: Miensk turned into Minsk under the Soviets in 1938; the country\u2019s present leaders have kept this spelling; the opposition and \u00e9migr\u00e9s use original Miensk.<\/p>\n

Though attempts are being made to introduce \u0141acinka into the Western library system, including the Library of Congress, the latter continues to use a Latin alphabet based on Soviet Bie\u0142arusian Cyrillic spelling, Narkoma\u01d4ka. The following transliteration charts are based on the Tara\u0161kievi\u010d\u2019s \u0141acinka, which has been used in the Western world\u2019s many academic writings.<\/p>\n

We hope the following charts will be of help to English speakers and will allow the reader to experience the richness of Bie\u0142arusian sounds.<\/p>\n

Bie\u0142arusian was the official language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Litva), and was the tool for producing one of the most advanced religious and secular literatures in Europe at the time. Bie\u0142arusian literature of the recent centuries is a valuable part of the world culture, and we are optimistic about its future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cyrillic<\/th>\n\u0141acinka<\/th>\nPronunciation<\/th>\nLoC<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
A a<\/td>\na see charts and notes below<\/td>\na (in ah)<\/td>\nA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0411 \u0431<\/td>\nb<\/td>\nb (in bid; bow)<\/td>\nB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0412 \u0432<\/td>\nv<\/td>\nv (in vim; in vow)<\/td>\nV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0413 \u0433<\/td>\nh<\/td>\nh (in how)<\/td>\nG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0490\u0491<\/td>\ng<\/td>\ng (in go)<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0414 \u0434<\/td>\nd<\/td>\nd (in dean; deaf)<\/td>\nd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0414\u0437 \u0434\u0437<\/td>\ndz<\/td>\ndz (in aze)<\/td>\ndz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0414\u0437\u044c \u0434\u0437\u044c<\/td>\nd\u017a<\/td>\ndz (palatalized)<\/td>\ndz\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0414\u0436 \u0434\u0436<\/td>\nd\u017e<\/td>\nj (in jet)<\/td>\ndzh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0416 \u0436<\/td>\n\u017e<\/td>\nz (in pleasure)<\/td>\nzh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0417 \u0437<\/td>\nz<\/td>\nz (in zorro)<\/td>\nz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0417\u044c \u0437\u044c<\/td>\n\u017a<\/td>\nz (palatalized in shorten eu of Zeus)<\/td>\nz\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0406 \u0456<\/td>\ni see charts and notes below<\/td>\ni (in machine)<\/td>\ni<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0419 \u0439<\/td>\nj see charts and notes below<\/td>\ny (in boy)<\/td>\n\u012d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041a \u043a<\/td>\nk<\/td>\nk (in kat0<\/td>\nk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041b \u043b<\/td>\n\u0142<\/td>\nl (in lamp); followed by hard vowels: a, o, \u0443, \u044b, \u044d<\/td>\nl<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041b\u044c \u043b\u044c<\/td>\nl<\/td>\nl (in million) followed by soft vowels or soft sign: \u044f, \u0451, \u044e, \u0456, \u0435, \u044c<\/td>\nl\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041c \u043c<\/td>\nm<\/td>\nm (in mom)<\/td>\nm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041d \u043d<\/td>\nn<\/td>\nn (in no)<\/td>\nn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041d\u044c \u043d\u044c<\/td>\n\u0144<\/td>\nn (in onion)<\/td>\nn\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041e \u043e<\/td>\no see charts and notes below<\/td>\no (in horse)<\/td>\no<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u041f \u043f<\/td>\np<\/td>\np (in pot)<\/td>\np<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0420 \u0440<\/td>\nr<\/td>\nr ( close to Scottish \u2018r\u2019 in row)<\/td>\nr<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0421 \u0441<\/td>\ns<\/td>\ns (in so)<\/td>\ns<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0421\u044c \u0441\u044c<\/td>\n\u015b<\/td>\ns (palatalized)<\/td>\ns\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0422 \u0442<\/td>\nt<\/td>\nt (in to)<\/td>\nu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0423 \u0443<\/td>\nu see charts and notes below<\/td>\nu (in rule)<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u040e \u045e<\/td>\n\u01d4<\/td>\nw (in how)<\/td>\nu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0424 \u0444<\/td>\nf<\/td>\nf (in fat)<\/td>\nf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0425 \u0445<\/td>\nch<\/td>\nch (in Scottish loch)<\/td>\nkh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0426 \u0446<\/td>\nc<\/td>\nts (in tsetse)<\/td>\nts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0426\u044c \u0446\u044c<\/td>\n\u0107<\/td>\nt (palatalized)<\/td>\nts\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0427 \u0447<\/td>\n\u010d<\/td>\nch (in church)<\/td>\nch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0428 \u0448<\/td>\n\u0161<\/td>\nsh (in shine)<\/td>\nsh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042b \u044b<\/td>\ny<\/td>\ny (in Mary)<\/td>\ny<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u044c<\/td>\n‘; \u2019<\/td>\nIt palatalizes a consonant; a dividing sign.<\/td>\n\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042d \u044d<\/td>\ne<\/td>\ne (in ten)<\/td>\ne<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042e \u044e<\/td>\nsee charts and notes below<\/td>\n<\/td>\niu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042f \u044f<\/td>\nsee charts and notes below<\/td>\n<\/td>\nia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

After Consonants, and excluding \u0141\/\u0142<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cyrillic<\/th>\n\u0141acinka<\/th>\nPronunciation<\/th>\nLoC<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042f \u044f<\/td>\nia<\/td>\nya (in yah)<\/td>\nia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0415 \u0435<\/td>\nie<\/td>\nye (in yet)<\/td>\ne<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0401 \u0451<\/td>\nio<\/td>\nyo (in yonder)<\/td>\nio<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042e \u044e<\/td>\niu<\/td>\nyu (in tune)<\/td>\niu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

After the consonant L\/l, the following vowel is always soft<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cyrillic<\/th>\n\u0141acinka<\/th>\nPronunciation<\/th>\nLoC<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042f \u044f<\/td>\nia<\/td>\nya (in yah)<\/td>\nia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0415 \u0435<\/td>\nie<\/td>\nye (in yet)<\/td>\ne<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0401 \u0451<\/td>\nio<\/td>\nyo (in yonder)<\/td>\nio<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042e \u044e<\/td>\niu<\/td>\nyu (in tune)<\/td>\niu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

After the consonant \u0141\/\u0142 the following vowel is always hard<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cyrillic<\/th>\n\u0141acinka<\/th>\nPronunciation<\/th>\nLoC<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u043ba<\/td>\n\u0142a<\/td>\nla (in latitude)<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u043b\u043e<\/td>\n\u0142\u043e<\/td>\nlo (in lonely)<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u043b\u0443<\/td>\n\u0142u<\/td>\nlu (in looney)<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u043b\u044d<\/td>\n\u0142e<\/td>\nlaj (in lady)<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Variant with “j” used at the start of words and after vowels<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cyrillic<\/th>\n\u0141acinka<\/th>\nPronunciation<\/th>\nLoC<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042f \u044f<\/td>\nja<\/td>\nya (in yah)<\/td>\nia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0415 \u0435<\/td>\njie<\/td>\nye (in yet)<\/td>\ne<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0401 \u0451<\/td>\njo<\/td>\nyo (in yonder)<\/td>\nio<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u042e \u044e<\/td>\nju<\/td>\nyu (in you)<\/td>\niu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

See the following:<\/h3>\n