Eesti asulanimede transkribeerimisest ja käänamisest vene keeles

The article discusses a practical problem faced by interpreters and editors: how should Estonian toponyms be handled in the Russian language. The authors regard this problem from two points of view. In the first place, the problems of transcription are analyzed – in particular the requirements of practical transcription. Secondly, the morphological structure and declension of the Estonian toponyms are scrutinized. As it turned out, nearly half (41.5%) of all Estonian place-names end in -a, like nouns of the Russian second declension. In accordance with the general rules of the Russian language the nouns with the ending -a are declined. However, taking into account various other factors, the authors of the given article make the conclusion that only those few names of towns which are old loans should be declined in Russian. Recommendations are given for using the names of Estonian settlements in Russian written texts.