spelling

  • My name is Russian and originally written in Cyrillic script: Мария Рыскина.

  • My preferred Latin-script spelling is Maria Ryskina.
    This is how I write my name on publications and in most other cases.

  • My official passport name is Mariia Ryskina.
    I use this spelling only for legal purposes. The extra ‘i’ is an artifact of the ICAO transliteration standard.

pronunciation

When speaking English, I often use an anglicized pronunciation of my name:

  • IPA transcription (listen): /məˈɹiə ɹɪˈskinə/
  • Rough phonetic rendering: Ma-ri-a Ry-ski-na

The Russian pronunciation is:

  • IPA transcription (listen): /mɐˈrʲijə ˈrɨskʲɪnə/
  • Rough phonetic rendering: Ma-ri-ya Ry-ski-na

The stress in my last name originally falls on the first syllable, but in English I accept the pronunciations stressing the second syllable as well.

other

Many Russian last names, including mine, inflect for gender: the -a at the end of my last name is not a part of the stem but a feminine marker. My father’s last name is Ryskin (Рыскин).