Thread: Months

I was learning the Ukrainian months today. They are so nice.

January: січень = rod/pole
February: лютий = very cold
March: березень = birch
April: квітень = flowers
May: травень = grass
June: червень = worms
July: липень = limetrees
August: серпень = sickle
September: вересень = heather
October: жовтень = turning yellow
November: листопад = falling leaves
December: грудень = frozen ground


These are the old Slavonic names for the months, which are preserved in Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Ukrainian, Polish (mostly).

Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian adopted the latin based names for months, as has English.

My question is, when did it happen in Russian?

This is one of the major difference between Serbian and Croatian, often considered to be dialects of the same language. Serbian has Latin based months, whereas Croatian has Slavonic based months.

In Polish, the Slavonic months have been preserved, except in March and May, where we find marzec and maj.

You missed one more language: Belarussian (aka Belarusian, Belorussian) month names are also Slavonic, some are similar to Ukrainian.

1. translations: January: студзень [studzen] = cold
2. translations: February: люты [lyuty] = very cold
3. translations: March: сакавік [sakavik]
4. translations: April: красавік [krasavik] = beautiful?
5. translations: May: май [may] = Maia, Roman goddess
6. translations: June: чэрвень [cherven] = worms
7. translations: July: ліпень [lipen] = limetrees
8. translations: August: жнівень [zhniven] = harvest
9. translations: September: верасень [verasen] = heather
10. translations: October: кастрычнік [kastrytsnik]
11. translations: November: лістапад [listapad] = falling leaves
12. translations: December: снежань [snezhan] = snow

http://home.unilang.org/main/wiki2/inde ... ian_months

Originally Posted by TATY

June: червень = worms

Yuck. I don't think so.
In fact, "червень" (and belorussian word, too) related to "червены" (in Russian -- "червонный"), e.g. "red".

Originally Posted by TATY

September: вересень = heather

Also, I don't think "вересень" is related to "вереск" -- "heather".
(If so, it would be "верескень" or the like.)

Originally Posted by TATY

My question is, when did it happen in Russian?

Sometimes in 12th-13th century. (Not quite sure, however.)

Originally Posted by Scorpio

Originally Posted by TATY

June: червень = worms

Yuck. I don't think so.
In fact, "червень" (and belorussian word, too) related to "червены" (in Russian -- "червонный"), e.g. "red".

Originally Posted by TATY

September: вересень = heather

Also, I don't think "вересень" is related to "вереск" -- "heather".
(If so, it would be "верескень" or the like.)

Originally Posted by TATY

My question is, when did it happen in Russian?

Sometimes in 12th-13th century. (Not quite sure, however.)

TATY is right about the origin. вересень has dropped K and червень has to do with worms not red, unfortunately. Nothing yucky about it, soil needs worms.

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pa ... heyear.htm

January was also be called prosynets’, similar to Czech prosinec.

The Czech and Slovak months are slightly different.

Off the top of my head, January in Czech is leden - ice.

Originally Posted by TATY

The Czech and Slovak months are slightly different.

Off the top of my head, January in Czech is leden - ice.

Yes, you're right, prosinec is December.

Czech:
leden

The Croatian months are:

January: siječanj
February: veljača
translMarch: ožujak
April: travanj = grass'
May: svibanj
June: lipanj = limetree
July: srpanj = sickle
August: kolovoz = Kolo dance?
September: rujan = rut
October: listopad = falling leaves
November: studeni = cold
December: prosinac

FYR Macedonian months are latin based.

The Upper Sorbian months are Slavonic based but quite diferent from all the other languages

Wulki r