MovieChat Forums > Zoya (1995) Discussion > Cultural-linguistic mistake

Cultural-linguistic mistake

posted 15 years ago by PhillyGal
2 replies | jump to latest

Her name can't be Ossipov. Russian is a gender specific language and most female names require an "A" thus it would be Ossipova. I never read the book and I certainly hope the same mistake wasn't there. Either way, it's laziness on behalf of the filmmakers and Danielle Steele herself. It's a mistake that that bothers me because it could have been so easily fixed had they just checked with a native Russian speaker or a Russian expert.

If you think it's nit-picking, well I would compare it to calling her MR. Ossipov. rather than MISS.

Dear Mr. Newman, Short people DO have a reason to live.

[–] sparkio79 15 years ago

You never read the book (which was better than the movie). Ossipov was the family name, like Romanov. Her patrynomic last name, what you are thinking of, was accurate as Konstantinovna, her father being Konstantin.

[–] PhillyGal 15 years ago

Even family names would be changed by gender. Her name should be Zoya Konstantinovna Ossipova. Another example is Anna Karenina. Her husband's name is Karenin.

Dear Mr. Newman, Short people DO have a reason to live.