The written language of the Russian language is based on Cyrillic writing. However, most world languages use the Latin alphabet for this. Further in the article we will tell you how to write in Latin letters correctly. This is a very important skill that can come in handy in any situation. As an example, you need to be able to write your name correctly in the Latin alphabet when traveling abroad.
History of the Latin alphabet
Historically, the Latin alphabet is divided into archaic and classic versions. The first of them bears a great resemblance to the Greek language, from which it probably originated.
The original alphabet consisted of 27 letters, some of which were practically never used. The composition of the classical alphabet included 23 letters. Latin was the official language in ancient Rome, and thanks to Roman expansion, this alphabet was widely used. In the process of historical development, a few more letters were added to the Latin alphabet, and at the moment the "basic Latin alphabet" has 26 letters and completely coincides with modern English.
However, almost every language that currently uses the Latin alphabet has its own additional Latin characters, such as the letter “thorn” (Þ), which is used in the Icelandic language. And there are many examples of such Latin expansion.
And how to write capital Latin letters that are included in the "basic Latin alphabet"? There are a few rules. And according to them, some capital letters are reduced copies of capital letters, while some of the letters are slightly different.
Russian latin
The very first cases of using the Latin alphabet for writing East Slavic languages date back to the period of the XVI-XVII centuries, when the Latin appeared in the documents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth.
Later, on the territory of the Russian state, the question of changing the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin alphabet was repeatedly raised. Initially, this idea appeared in Peter I, who, against the backdrop of economic transformations of the European bias, conceived and language reform. However, Peter never fulfilled this desire.
Even more intensified were calls for a change in the alphabet in the 19th century. Especially the representatives of the “Westerners” movement stood up for this. And again, there was no change in the alphabet. After all, the opponents of the Latin alphabet had many supporters. Including Minister Uvarov, the author of the theory of official nationality. The introduction of the Latin alphabet, according to opponents of the transition, would mean a loss of cultural uniqueness.
After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks planned to transfer all ethnic groups to the Latin alphabet. Several options were suggested for the Russian language. However, the period of "Latinization" quickly ended, and in the leadership of the USSR, on the contrary, they began to translate all languages into Cyrillic. After that, the question of changing the alphabet in the USSR was closed.
After the fall of the communist regime, the issue of parallel circulation of the Cyrillic alphabet with the Latin one, as in the same Uzbekistan, was repeatedly raised, however, the public blocked such proposals. Despite the ambiguity of this issue, the introduction of the Latin alphabet could be useful for the Russian language. This would make it open to further cultural expansion. But the introduction of the Latin alphabet in the Russian language has a slight minus - it will be difficult for the older generation to understand how to write in Latin letters.
Transliteration from Cyrillic to Latin
There are no uniform rules for transliteration from Cyrillic to Latin. However, a certain standard is currently being used in the Russian Federation, which is adhered to by employees of the Federal Migration Service.
He is periodically criticized, but taken as official. It is replaced by collocations of letters that are not in the Latin alphabet: E, W, U, U, W, C, H, Y. The remaining letters are virtually identical to their Latin counterparts.
How to write the last name and first name in Latin letters
Usually this procedure must be followed upon receipt of a foreign passport or visas. All documents requiring transliteration are filled out in accordance with ISO 9, which is adhered to by the Federal Migration Service. According to this rule, surnames are translated into Latin. We offer you a transliteration scale.
Thanks to this table, any word written in Cyrillic can be written in Latin. For example, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich in Latin will be Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich.
Conclusion
The debate about what kind of alphabet is required for the Russian language does not subside long enough. Each of the opinions has its advantages and disadvantages. In our country, discussions have been going on for centuries, and so far they can’t see the end. However, being able to write in Latin letters is quite an important skill. It can come in handy when obtaining a foreign passport, visa, paperwork in other states.
In this article, we showed how to spell your first and last name in Latin letters. But that's not all. Using the table here, you can write any Cyrillic word in Latin. We hope that after reading this article you understand how to write in Latin letters.