Thread: I'm trying to write a fiction book in English. Just for fun :)

Originally Posted by Ramil

Russian names ending with -off came from French (they needed to stress the ending consonant. And in writing only. English speakers do not need it). You don't need to stress pronunciation here, because in English both written names and said end with -ov, not -off.

Yeah, the "-off" spelling of Russian names is used in most of Northern Europe, Germany for example and Scandinavia for Russians who arrived in the 19th century or the revolution. It gives out chic and interesting vibes for sure.
I don't know when they stopped transcribing it like that, but it definitely says something about the person's history, - the same Russian name can sound very different to a European ear, depending on how it is transcribed.
It seems like nowadays they try to make the name sound as foreign and weird as possible!

And again on the women and scarves thing, it's in the bible actually + I can imagine it's helpful for keeping warm and keeping your hair out of your face when working outdoors. I think they would have felt a bit naked and very forward to walk around with their heads uncovered. Even my grandmother wore a hat or scarf a lot of the time.

Originally Posted by Hanna

And again on the women and scarves thing, it's in the bible actually + I can imagine it's helpful for keeping warm and keeping your hair out of your face when working outdoors. I think they would have felt a bit naked and very forward to walk around with their heads uncovered. Even my grandmother wore a hat or scarf a lot of the time.

Soviet women probably never read Bible or visited a church. Nevertheless, their mothers did. It was just a tradition. Besides, a scarf helps to protect your hair when you work outdoors.