Names, surnames and many others - this is a fairly large category of nouns called proper names. Declination, that is, a change in numbers and cases, in this case can be a rather difficult task. However, in the Russian language there are several rules for a variety of cases.
Proper names
Kommersant newspaper, Forbes magazine, Anastasia Lvovna Bondarchuk, Gennady Mkrtchyan, Batumi, Moscow, Beatles, Coca-Cola, Hanukkah celebration - all of the above, as well as much, much more that was not mentioned - examples of nouns . They surround us everywhere, although this is not always so noticeable. Naturally, they have to be used both in oral and in written language. And here some difficulties may arise, if with the names of companies, groups, as well as trademarks, you can somehow get out of the way, then with the names this does not always happen.
The fact is that declension of proper names by cases is not always a set of clear rules for each specific case, and names that are difficult for a Russian-speaking ear are no longer rare. In addition, due to the fact that these nouns are "personal" for each person and accompany him throughout his life, he can be offended by misuse, so be careful with cases. So, it’s worthwhile to understand how the declension of proper nouns occurs . This will help, if not to avoid the mistake, then reduce its probability many times.
General case
In essence, proper nouns do not differ so much from common nouns . Declination in cases also often coincides in form. And this is easy to see with examples.
- Male names ending in a consonant change according to cases in the same way as similar nouns related to the second declension (castle): Ivan (castle) - Ivan (castle) - Ivan (castle) - Ivan (castle) - Ivan (castle) - about Ivan (about the castle). The difference, as is obvious, is only in the case of the accusative case, which also depends on such characteristics as animation.
- Simple female and male names with a vowel ending adopt the first declension model (fox): Anna (fox) - Anna (foxes) - Anna (fox) - Anna (fox) - Anna (fox) - about Anna (about the fox). In this case, there is a complete coincidence.
- The soft consonant at the end and the feminine give reason to change the case name according to the type of the third declension (mouse): Love (mouse) - Love (mouse) - Love (mouse) - Love (mouse) - Love (mouse) - about Love (about mouse).
These two rules apply both to the familiar Russian ear and to rather exotic names such as Zuhra, Leila, Ildar, Nail, Judith, etc. But the variety does not end there, so getting confused and mistaken is quite easy.
Surnames and first names
Aglaia, Maria, Ilya, Pelagia and a huge number of examples also usually do not cause difficulties - they accept the declension model of nouns ending in the same letters, while the origin, as a rule, does not matter much. Surnames with the same endings are a little more complicated - some of them have their own forms, others change according to the type of adjectives. So, the declension of proper nouns is easier to consider with specific examples:
- Maria Volkonskaya - Maria Volkonskaya - Maria Volkonskaya - Maria Volkonskaya - Maria Volkonskaya - about Maria Volkonskaya. When compared with common nouns with similar endings, a coincidence will be obvious.
- Ilya Tolstoy - Ilya Tolstoy - Ilya Tolstoy - Ilya Tolstoy - Ilya Tolstoy - about Ilya Tolstoy. The same thing - nouns with a similar structure will tend similarly.
But there are exceptions, usually of Georgian origin. Such names as Barclay, Gurtskaya, etc., are not inclined, although they look as if they fall under this model. They do not change, regardless of whether their man or woman wears. You just need to remember this.
Surnames -a, -o, -i, consonants and soft sign
The declension of proper nouns by cases seems to be a completely inexhaustible topic, but it is not so at all. There are only a few cases that obey any formal rules. And they can be illustrated by such examples of surnames as Plevako, Dzhugashvili, Sedykh, Blok, Gogol, Kuchma.
With the first three, everything is very simple - they in the modern language do not change under any circumstances, and proper names with the same structure will behave the same. With the rest, everything is not so clear, because depending on their belonging to a man or a woman, they will behave differently.
Alexander Blok, Anastasia Blok - Alexander Blok, Anastasia Blok - Alexander Blok, Anastasia Blok - Alexander Blok, Anastasia Blok - Alexander Blok, Anastasia Blok - about Alexander Blok, about Anastasia Blok.
Nikolay Gogol, Irina Gogol - Nikolai Gogol, Irina Gogol - Nikolai Gogol, Irina Gogol - Nikolai Gogol, Irina Gogol - Nikolai Gogol, Irina Gogol - about Nikolai Gogol, about Irina Gogol.
Vladimir Kuchma, Elena Kuchma - Vladimir Kuchma, Elena Kuchma - Vladimir Kuchma, Elena Kuchma - Vladimir Kuchma, Elena Kuchma - Vladimir Kuchma, Elena Kuchma - about Vladimir Kuchma, Elena Kuchma.
In the latter model, by the way, there is a fairly obvious tendency not to decline the surname, even in the case of a representative of the stronger sex. However, while according to the rules of the literary language, change usually occurs.
Foreign proper names
The world does not stand still, and, obviously, it is simply impossible to stop globalization. Languages interpenetrate each other, and Russian is no exception. Throughout its history and in recent years, in particular, it has been filled with hundreds and thousands of new terms, and also adopted foreign proper names. Among them are surnames, names of companies and firms, and a huge number of examples of very different origin. Some of them conditionally obey the rules of the Russian language, and some remain unchanged. And it can be very difficult to determine by eye.
- Theodore Roosevelt - Theodore Roosevelt - Theodore Roosevelt - Theodore Roosevelt - Theodore Roosevelt - about Theodore Roosevelt.
- Emil Zola - Emil Zola - Emil Zola - Emil Zola - Emil Zola - about Emil Zola.
Such surnames as Gogol, Herzen, etc., are also conditionally considered foreign, from the point of view of the Russian language, in fact, like Roosevelt. However, the declension of masculine proper names in this case occurs according to the general scheme. Obviously, this does not work with Zola; this can be explained by the ending in the vowel.
Names and surnames combined
Another subtlety is to properly name a family. According to current models, it will be true this way: with Henry and Thomas Mann (but the Mann brothers), father and son Mandelstam, but about the father and daughter Sievers and with the couple Schumann. The “female” element in this case changes the situation.
A combination of a surname with a name and patronymic may also look rather strange if one of the parts is non-declining. But it happens that this is not so:
- Jean-Paul Belmondo - Jean-Paul Belmondo - Jean-Paul Belmondo - Jean-Paul Belmondo - Jean-Paul Belmondo - about Jean-Paul Belmondo.
- Jules Verne - Jules Verne - Jules Verne - Jules Verne - Jules Verne - about Jules Verne.
The latter is particularly often affected because the literary rules for the declension of proper names are ignored in his regard.
Other cases
There are many more examples not mentioned in the previous paragraphs. However, they are worth considering:
- Double surnames. All parts can be changed, and only one of them (Mamin-Sibiryak, Barclay de Tolly - Mom’s Sibiryaka, Barclay de Tolly).
- Oriental proper names. Declination in this case will fall only on the last part while maintaining the rest (Ban Ki-moon - Ban Ki-moon).
- It is worthwhile to be especially careful with homonymous surnames of different origins (Charlie Chaplin, Alexey Chaplin - Charlie Chaplin, Alexei Chaplin) - there is a fundamental difference in the declension model.
There are even more complex examples, but it is not possible to consider all the proper names without exception. Declination in such cases can be a non-trivial task, especially if it is not known, for example, the gender of the bearer of the family name or first name. If possible, it is better to learn from the person himself, and if not, try to avoid changes in the cases using auxiliary constructions.