Kreeka nimed eestikeelses tekstis ja kõnes

Abstract

Kreeka ja teiste mitte-ladina alfabeedis nimede kirjutamise teemal on Eestis korduvalt arutletud ning kehtestatud on ka reeglid, millest juhinduda. Praktikas ei ole nende reeglite kasutamine alati lihtne, eelkõige sellepärast et nime algkuju ei pruugita teada. Kreeka nimed jõuavad tänapäeval eestikeelsesse teksti enamasti teiste keelte vahendusel ning seega jõuavad eestikeelsesse kirjapilti ja hääldusse teiste keelte traditsioonid ning transkriptsiooni- ja hääldusreeglid. Kõige suuremaks mõjutajaks on nüüdsel ajal inglise keel.

Vanakreeka, Uue Testamendi, bütsantsi ning uuskreeka nimede edasiandmisel on eesti keeles olnud erinevad tavad ja praktika ning tänapäevalgi tanskribeeritakse neid erinevalt. Neid vahesid tajuda ei ole alati lihtne ning kindlasti tekib ka küsitavusi, kas juhinduda ühtedest või teistest reeglitest. Artikkel annab ülevaate erinevate kreeka nimede kasutamisest eesti keeles ning juhib tähelepanu probleemidele.

"Greek names in Estonian written and oral language"

The issue of how to write Greek names in Estonian has been a recurring topic in Estonia. It is not always easy to follow the transcription rules, as there is often no information on how the Greek names are actually written in Greek. Greek names are transported into Estonian mostly from other languages and thus also traditions and pronunciation rules of other languages are admitted into Estonian. Most often, such influences now originate from English.

There have been different ways and traditions of rendering Ancient Greek, New Testament, Byzantine and Modern Greek names in Estonian. Rules for transcription of Greek names in Estonian are established only for Ancient and Modern Greek names. However, it is not always easy to perceive differences even between these names and their use in Estonian. Questions arise as to which rules should be used while writing e.g. Greek geographical names which have been used in antiquity and are still in use today. In addition, Modern Greek personal names and place names are rendered differently in Estonian. Moreover, problems of stress and pronunciation are sometimes difficult to solve in oral speech.

The article gives a survey of the use of Greek names in Estonian written texts and oral language at the end of the 20th and in the 21st century and highlights problems in the use of these names.