Scandinavian Names in Birch Bark Letters: Phonetics and Non-Phonetics [Скандинавские имена в берестяных грамотах: фонетика и нефонетика]

This paper was given in 2013 at the VI International Conference "Old Rus and the Germanic World". I discuss several phonetic and non-phonetic features in the form of Scandinavian names attested in Old Russian Birch Bark letters.   In particular, I argue that the final palatalization in the loan names  Свѣнь < Svæ(i)N (Birch Bark letter № 912) and probably also Стѣнь < Stæ(i)N (Birch Bark letter № 249) can the reflect the actual pronounciation of these name in Old Scandinavian, with N standing for /nj/ . I also argue that the proper name Дрозьдъ in the BIrch Bark letter № 526 (ca. 1050 - 1075) must be analyzed as a calque from Scandinavian Þröstr 'personal names', also 'thrush'.