Thread: To spell in Russian

How does one say "how do you spell this word?" in Russian.

Как пишется это слово?

Originally Posted by Оля

Как пишется это слово?

Спасибо.

And remember, Russians don't usually spell letter by letter. Such a waste of time and energy!

Most likely the answer will be "через 'и'", "с двумя 'о'" and such. Or sometimes the word will be pronounced slowly and clearly, with a pause after every syllable.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

And remember, Russians don't usually spell letter by letter. Such a waste of time and energy!

Most likely the answer will be "через 'и'", "с двумя 'о'" and such. Or sometimes the word will be pronounced slowly and clearly, with a pause after every syllable.

No wonder I had trouble finding the Russian word for spell, as in to spell a word. Closes I could find was "читать по складам".

you can also say "Скажите это слово по буквам"[/quote]

Originally Posted by tohca

No wonder I had trouble finding the Russian word for spell, as in to spell a word. Closes I could find was "читать по слогам".

you can also say "Скажите это слово по буквам"

Only not to a Russian. У нас принято по слогам говорить, четко произнося безударные согласные. По буквам - если только по телефону, когда очень плохо слышно. "Нина - Николай, Ирина, Николай, Анна: НИНА!"

Originally Posted by Scrabus

Originally Posted by tohca

No wonder I had trouble finding the Russian word for spell, as in to spell a word. Closes I could find was "читать по слогам".

Ну здрасссьте
по складам is as correct as по слогам as well.

Originally Posted by Оля

Ну здрасссьте
по складам is as correct as по слогам as well.

Yes, both are correct. "По складам" is more old-fashioned, though.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

"По складам" is more old-fashioned, though.

And it concerns more to description of the children's manner of reading.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

"По складам" is more old-fashioned, though.

And it concerns more to description of the children's manner of reading.

Well, it does, but it doesn't make that expression less outdated.
"По слогам" refers to the manner of reading too, and when I was a kid, teachers already used "по слогам" instead of "по складам". The latter sounds very old-fashioned (I've seen/heard "по складам" only in old books or cartoons). What's more, "по складам" marked in my dictionary as "сolloquial", while "по слогам" is literary.

Also looking for an evidence to support my "theory" I've found even weirder discussion, where a few people state, that "по слогам" and "по складам" are not even full synonyms. That "fusion" of meanings occured in te XX century.

"По складам", being older of the two, refers to the manner of reading, which was taught to kids about 100 years ago and earlier: reading syllable letter by letter, than combining ("складывая") them into syllable (indeed very similar to spelling).

По слогам: де-ре-во.
По складам - вот так (of course, "old" names of letters were used - аз, буки, веди, etc.):

"буки азъ - ба", "буки онъ - бо". Чтобы вспомнить, как прочитать слог, средневековый ученик должен был произнести названия букв. В Вашем примере чтение - по слогам, когда у читающего за буквой сразу же стоит не название её, а фонетический облик.

http://www.gramota.ru/forum/veche/18292/

Originally Posted by Оля

Ну здрасссьте
по складам is as correct as по слогам as well.

Никогда не слышал. Для меня звучит странно.

Originally Posted by Scrabus

Никогда не слышал.

Для меня звучит странно.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

"По складам" is more old-fashioned, though.

And it concerns more to description of the children's manner of reading.

Well, it does, but it doesn't make that expression less outdated.
"По слогам" refers to the manner of reading too, and when I was a kid, teachers already used "по слогам" instead of "по складам". The latter sounds very old-fashioned (I've seen/heard "по складам" only in old books or cartoons). What's more, "по складам" marked in my dictionary as "сolloquial", while "по слогам" is literary.

Also looking for an evidence to support my "theory" I've found even weirder discussion, where a few people state, that "по слогам" and "по складам" are not even full synonyms. That "fusion" of meanings occured in te XX century.

"По складам", being older of the two, refers to the manner of reading, which was taught to kids about 100 years ago and earlier: reading syllable letter by letter, than combining ("складывая") them into syllable (indeed very similar to spelling).

По слогам: де-ре-во.
По складам - вот так (of course, "old" names of letters were used - аз, буки, веди, etc.):

"буки азъ - ба", "буки онъ - бо". Чтобы вспомнить, как прочитать слог, средневековый ученик должен был произнести названия букв. В Вашем примере чтение - по слогам, когда у читающего за буквой сразу же стоит не название её, а фонетический облик.

http://www.gramota.ru/forum/veche/18292/

Thanks for so much for the additional info.
So it seems that what I was looking for is по складам after all. To spell out the letters instead of pronouncing the syllables as in по слогам. However, по слогам is also very useful, and I will surely try to use it more often.

I believe for many people learning Russian (especially from an English background) we would initially need to know how a word is actually spelled, letter by letter. Later on we may progress to "spelling" by pronunciation syllable by syllable. Thus progressing from по складам к по слогам.

Originally Posted by tohca

So it seems that what I was looking for is по складам after all.

I don't think so. In modern Russian the expression по складам means the same as по слогам. At least that was my feeling of that and it was confirmed. That's what gramota.ru says:

ПО СКЛАДАМ нареч. разг.
Произнося слоги раздельно (обычно при чтении); по слогам, не бегло.

We usually don't pronounce anything letter by letter when someone ask us about some word spelling. We do it по слогам, because a distinct articulation and a non-reduced pronunciation of vowels are always enough. I'd find very strange and unnecessary if someone asked me to pronounce something "letter by letter". I'd even maybe take that like a sort of издевательство.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by tohca

So it seems that what I was looking for is по складам after all.

I don't think so. In modern Russian the expression по складам means the same as по слогам. At least that was my feeling of that and it was confirmed. That's what gramota.ru says:

ПО СКЛАДАМ нареч. разг.
Произнося слоги раздельно (обычно при чтении); по слогам, не бегло.

We usually don't pronounce anything letter by letter when someone ask us about some word spelling. We do it по слогам, because a distinct articulation and a non-reduced pronunciation of vowels are always enough. I'd find very strange and unnecessary if someone asked me to pronounce something "letter by letter". I'd even maybe take that like a sort of издевательство.

Wow, what a different world we have. Makes it all the more interesting and challenging at the same time. It's almost like Chinese, where you don't spell it at all but write the whole character for the word.

In modern Russian the expression по складам means the same as по слогам.

Exactly! Sorry, if my lo-o-o-ong post confused you, it was mostly an answer to Оля and Scrabus argument about existence/non-existence/meaning/etc. of the expression "по складам". Now it's a curious etymological fact, nothing more.

All you need to know is that both mean now pronouncing a word syllable by syllable, and that expression "по слогам" is much more common now. Stick with it, if you don't want to sound like a 50-years old.

Wow, what a different world we have.

True. These subtle differences are always amazing.

Funny thing is that Russians try to "spell" English words the same way as they do Russian ones.
- Как пишется "tree"?
- С двумя "e".

Or even like that: пе-о-пле (guess, what it is )

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

All you need to know is that both mean now pronouncing a word syllable by syllable, and that expression "по слогам" is much more common now. Stick with it, if you don't want to sound like a 50-years old.
But I am 50 or almost there!

Wow, what a different world we have.

True. These subtle differences are always amazing.

Funny thing is that Russians try to "spell" English words the same way as they do Russian ones.
- Как пишется "tree"?
- С двумя "e".

Or even like that: пе-о-пле (guess, what it is )

Payoplay?

Originally Posted by tohca

Payoplay?

Nope. It's "people".

so is it слогам или слогам?