Romanization of Macedonian

Last updated

The romanization of Macedonian is the transliteration of text in Macedonian from the Macedonian Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet. Romanization can be used for various purposes, such as rendering of proper names in foreign contexts, or for informal writing of Macedonian in environments where Cyrillic is not easily available. Official use of romanization by North Macedonia's authorities is found, for instance, on road signage and in passports. Several different codified standards of transliteration currently exist and there is widespread variability in practice.

Contents

Romanization systems

Road sign to Dolno Sonje in Macedonian Cyrillic (above) with romanization (below) Dolno Sonje znak.JPG
Road sign to Dolno Sonje in Macedonian Cyrillic (above) with romanization (below)

For a number of Cyrillic letters, transliteration into matching Latin letters is straightforward. Cyrillic а, б, в, г, д, е, з, и, к, л, м, н, о, п, р, с, т, у, ф are matched with Latin a, b, v, g, d, e, z, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, f, according to all conventions. Cyrillic ц (pronounced [ts]) is mostly rendered as c, in accordance with the conventions for many other Slavic (and non-Slavic) languages. The letter х is typically rendered as h, matching the pronunciation in Macedonian. For the Macedonian/Serbian letter ј, the preferred transliteration is its visual Latin counterpart j (rather than y, otherwise widely used in English for the rendering of the same glide sound in other languages). For other Cyrillic letters, the choice is between a single Latin letter with a diacritic, and a digraph of two Latin letters. This goes mainly for the letters denoting palatalised consonants, and for those denoting fricatives and affricates in the alveolar and palatal range.

Digraph system

This system uses digraphs instead of diacritics, making it easier for use in environments where diacritics may pose a technical problem, such as typing on computers. Common usage has gj, kj for ѓ, ќ, either dj or dzh for џ, and sometimes ts for ц. Such a diacritic-free system, with digraphs zh, gj, dz, lj, nj, kj, ch, sh, dj has been adopted since 2008 for use in official documents such as passports, ID cards and driver's licenses. The system adopted for digraph transliteration is ICAO Doc 9303. [1] The Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences and the State Statistical Office of North Macedonia use similar digraph system. [2]

ISO 9 system

A standardized system of transliteration based on Gaj's Latin alphabet has been used since 1950s [3] and defined in ISO 9:1968; this system was also adopted by the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1970, [4] BGN/PCGN (in 2013), and ALA-LC and is taught in schools in North Macedonia [5] [ full citation needed ] It uses letters with diacritics ž, č, š for Cyrillic ж, ч, ш respectively (as for many other Slavic languages), and ǵ, ḱ for the special Macedonian letters ѓ, ќ. The palatalised consonants of Cyrillic љ, њ are rendered with digraphs lj, nj (although the academic orthography also permits using ĺ, ń), and the voiced affricates of Cyrillic ѕ, џ with dz, dž respectively. The most recent edition of the Macedonian orthography [6] [7] mentions this system as well as the digraphic system, saying that the latter is used for personal names in official documents.

The palatal plosives ѓ, ќ are also sometimes rendered as Latin đ, ć, following a Serbian convention (đ, ć are the Gaj's Latin equivalents of Serbian Cyrillic ђ and ћ, which etymologically correspond to Macedonian ѓ, ќ in many words.) This convention is found in the system adopted by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) and the British PCGN in 1981, [8] (before 2013) as well as by the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographic Names (UNCSGN). [9] According to this system, ѓ, ќ are transliterated as plain g and k before front vowels (е, и), but as đ and ć respectively in other environments. Otherwise, this system is identical to that of ISO 9 (R:1968). [10]

The Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences uses gj and kj for the palatal plosives on its official website. [11]

The ISO 9:1995 is a standard that completely avoids digraphs and permits to romanize any Cyrillic text without knowing in what language it is. However, it is rarely used because of having unusual diacriticized letters.

Comparative table of some standard romanizations of the Macedonian letters
Cyrillic IPA ISO 9 (1995) [12] ISO 9 (1968), National Academy (1970), BGN/PCGN (2013), ALA-LC BGN/PCGN (pre-2013) [8] /UN [9] Official Documents/Cadastre [1] MJMS/SSO [2] Gaj's Alphabet
А а /a/A a
Б б /b/B b
В в /v/V v
Г г /ɡ/G g
Д д /d/D d
Ѓ ѓ /ɟ/Ǵ ǵG/Đ g/đGj gjĐ đ
Е е /ɛ/E e
Ж ж /ʒ/Ž žZh zhŽ ž
З з /z/Z z
Ѕ ѕ /dz/Ẑ ẑDz dz
И и /i/I i
Ј ј /j/J̌ ǰJ j
К к /k/K k
Л л /l/L l
Љ љ /ʎ/L̂ l̂Lj lj
М м /m/M m
Н н /n/N n
Њ њ /ɲ/N̂ n̂Nj nj
О о /ɔ/O o
П п /p/P p
Р р /r/R r
С с /s/S s
Т т /t/T t
Ќ ќ /c/Ḱ ḱK/Ć k/ćKj kjĆ ć
У у /u/U u
Ф ф /f/F f
Х х /x/H h
Ц ц /ts/C cTs ts / C cC c
Ч ч /tʃ/Č čCh chČ č
Џ џ /dʒ/D̂ d̂Dž džDj djDzh dzhDž dž
Ш ш /ʃ/Š šSh shŠ š

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Cadastre Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine /ICAO Doc 9303 (page 33, 34) Archived 2017-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences Archived 2012-08-28 at the Wayback Machine /State Statistical Office Archived 2013-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Lunt, Horace G. (1952). Grammar of the Macedonian Literary Language. Skopje.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Macedonian Latin alphabet, Vidoeski, B. (Б. Видоески); Dimitrovski, T. (Т. Димитровски); Koneski, K. (К. Конески); Tošev, K. (К. Тошев); Ugrinova-Skalovska, R. (Р. Угринова-Скаловска) (1970). Pravopis na makedonskiot literaturen jazikПравопис на македонскиот литературен јазик (in Macedonian). Skopje: Prosvetno delo. p. 99.
  5. ↑ Da čitame i pišuvame Latinica (in Macedonian)., primary school textbook
  6. ↑ Institut za makedonski jazik "Krste Misirkov (2015–2016). Pravopis na makedonskiot jazikПравопис на македонскиот јазик (in Macedonian). Skopje. p. 167.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ↑ Institut za makedonski jazik "Krste Misirkov" (2017). Pravopis na makedonskiot jazikПравопис на македонскиот јазик (PDF) (in Macedonian) (2nd ed.). Skopje. p. 169. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. 1 2 Romanization System for Macedonian Cyrillic: BGN/PCGN 1981 Agreement (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-04-05– via earth-info.nga.mil.
  9. 1 2 UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems: Report on the Current Status of United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names, Version 2.2, January 2003 Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Transliteracija na makedonskata kirilicaТранслитерација на македонската кирилица (PDF) (in Macedonian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  11. ↑ "Full and Corresponding Members". Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  12. ↑ "ISO 9:1995: Information and Documentation — Transliteration of Cyrillic Characters Into Latin Characters — Slavic and Non-Slavic Languages". ISO. Retrieved 2021-12-20.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrillic script</span> Writing system used for various Eurasian languages

The Cyrillic script, Slavonic script or the Slavic script is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, North Asia, and East Asia, and used by many other minority languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanization</span> Transliteration or transcription to Latin characters

Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, for representing the spoken word, and combinations of both. Transcription methods can be subdivided into phonemic transcription, which records the phonemes or units of semantic meaning in speech, and more strict phonetic transcription, which records speech sounds with precision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanization of Russian</span> Romanization of the Russian alphabet

The romanization of the Russian language, aside from its primary use for including Russian names and words in text written in a Latin alphabet, is also essential for computer users to input Russian text who either do not have a keyboard or word processor set up for inputting Cyrillic, or else are not capable of typing rapidly using a native Russian keyboard layout (JCUKEN). In the latter case, they would type using a system of transliteration fitted for their keyboard layout, such as for English QWERTY keyboards, and then use an automated tool to convert the text into Cyrillic.

The romanization of Ukrainian, or Latinization of Ukrainian, is the representation of the Ukrainian language in Latin letters. Ukrainian is natively written in its own Ukrainian alphabet, which is based on the Cyrillic script. Romanization may be employed to represent Ukrainian text or pronunciation for non-Ukrainian readers, on computer systems that cannot reproduce Cyrillic characters, or for typists who are not familiar with the Ukrainian keyboard layout. Methods of romanization include transliteration and transcription.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaj's Latin alphabet</span> Form of Latin script used to write Serbo-Croatian

Gaj's Latin alphabet, also known as abeceda or gajica, is the form of the Latin script used for writing Serbo-Croatian and all of its standard varieties: Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian.

The orthography of the Macedonian language includes an alphabet consisting of 31 letters, which is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script, as well as language-specific conventions of spelling and punctuation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanization of Bulgarian</span> Transliteration of Bulgarian text

Romanization of Bulgarian is the practice of transliteration of text in Bulgarian from its conventional Cyrillic orthography into the Latin alphabet. Romanization can be used for various purposes, such as rendering of proper names and place names in foreign-language contexts, or for informal writing of Bulgarian in environments where Cyrillic is not easily available. Official use of romanization by Bulgarian authorities is found, for instance, in identity documents and in road signage. Several different standards of transliteration exist, one of which was chosen and made mandatory for common use by the Bulgarian authorities in a law of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanization of Arabic</span> Representation of Arabic in Latin script

The romanization of Arabic is the systematic rendering of written and spoken Arabic in the Latin script. Romanized Arabic is used for various purposes, among them transcription of names and titles, cataloging Arabic language works, language education when used instead of or alongside the Arabic script, and representation of the language in scientific publications by linguists. These formal systems, which often make use of diacritics and non-standard Latin characters and are used in academic settings or for the benefit of non-speakers, contrast with informal means of written communication used by speakers such as the Latin-based Arabic chat alphabet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian Latin alphabet</span> Latin script versions of the Ukrainian alphabet

The Ukrainian Latin alphabet is the form of the Latin script used for writing, transliteration and retransliteration of Ukrainian.

The Kyrgyz language is written in the Kyrgyz alphabet, a modification of Cyrillic. There is no commonly accepted system of romanization for Kyrgyz, i.e. a rendering of Kyrgyz in the Latin alphabet. For geographic names, the Kyrgyz government adopted the BGN/PCGN romanization system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazakh alphabets</span> Alphabets used to write the Kazakh language

Three alphabets are used to write the Kazakh language: the Cyrillic, Latin and Arabic scripts. The Cyrillic script is used in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. An October 2017 Presidential Decree in Kazakhstan ordered that the transition from Cyrillic to a Latin script be completed by 2025. The Arabic script is used in Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and parts of China.

Scientific transliteration, variously called academic, linguistic, international, or scholarly transliteration, is an international system for transliteration of text from the Cyrillic script to the Latin script (romanization). This system is most often seen in linguistics publications on Slavic languages.

Romanization or Latinization of Belarusian is any system for transliterating written Belarusian from Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet.

BGN/PCGN romanization system for Russian is a method for romanization of Cyrillic Russian texts, that is, their transliteration into the Latin alphabet as used in the English language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian cursive</span> Handwritten form of Russian Cyrillic

Russian cursive is a variant of the Russian alphabet used for writing by hand. It is typically referred to as (ру́сский) рукопи́сный шрифт (rússky) rukopísny shrift, "(Russian) handwritten font". It is the handwritten form of the modern Russian Cyrillic script, used instead of the block letters seen in printed material. In addition, Russian italics for lowercase letters are often based on Russian cursive. Most handwritten Russian, especially in personal letters and schoolwork, uses the cursive alphabet. In Russian schools most children are taught from first grade how to write with this script.

There are various systems of romanization of the Armenian alphabet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrillic alphabets</span> Related alphabets based on Cyrillic scripts

Numerous Cyrillic alphabets are based on the Cyrillic script. The early Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the 9th century AD and replaced the earlier Glagolitic script developed by the Byzantine theologians Cyril and Methodius. It is the basis of alphabets used in various languages, past and present, Slavic origin, and non-Slavic languages influenced by Russian. As of 2011, around 252 million people in Eurasia use it as the official alphabet for their national languages. About half of them are in Russia. Cyrillic is one of the most-used writing systems in the world. The creator is Saint Clement of Ohrid from the Preslav literary school in the First Bulgarian Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skopje-Veles dialect</span> Dialect of Macedonian

The Skopje-Veles dialect is a member of the central subgroup of the Western group of dialects of Macedonian. The dialect is spoken by a larger group of people in the cities Skopje and Veles and in the surrounding villages: Volkovo, Katlanovo, Petrovec and Čaška among others. This dialect is of historical importance for Macedonian because it is considered by many to be a prestige dialect. On August 2, 1945, the Skopje-Veles dialect, together with the other dialects of the central group was officially regulated as a basis of standard Macedonian. Many Macedonian writers and linguists were writing on this dialect and considered it to be standard Macedonian. One of them was Krste Petkov Misirkov and in his book For Macedonian affairs wrote that this dialect should be standard Macedonian. He has been writing on Skopje-Veles dialect and on Prilep-Bitola dialect.

The cyrillization of Chinese is the transcription of Chinese characters into the Cyrillic alphabet.

BGN/PCGN romanization system for Kyrgyz is a method for romanization of Cyrillic Kyrgyz texts, that is, their transliteration into the Latin alphabet as used in the English language.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.