MiG - Whats in a name?

[StalkerKHV88]

You're completely right. All our aircraft are named after their constructor.

Сухой - Су - Sukhoi - Su

Туполев - Ту - Tupolev - Tu

Ильюшин - Ил - Ilyushin - IL

Лавочкин - Ла - Lavochkin - La

Микоян и Гуревич - МиГ - Mikoyan and Gurevich - MiG

Антонов - Ан - Antonov - An

Яковлев - Як - Yakovlev - Yak

Likewise for helicopters.

Also word mig in Russian means instant.

[SaQSoN]

Originally Posted by StalkerKHV88

Also word mig in Russian means instant.

Russian word миг means very short fraction of time and comes from the word мигать, which means "blink with an eye". The most common use of this word in Russian language are phrases like "сделать что-то мигом", which means "do smth. in a blink of an eye", i.e. very fast. Therefore, the abbreviation МиГ, apart from it's obvious meaning "Mikoyan and Gurevich" also suggests, that the object, bearing this name is something very fast. So, this name was definitely selected having more, then just abbreviation on their mind.

[Romanator21]

(em ee geh? do you say buh em wuh for BMW? there are different more suitable ways to pronounce anything)

In America, people pronounce it as "bee em double-yoo" but I've heard it pronounced as "beh em veh" elsewhere.

(I don't know where you're from, so excuse me) but Russian letters aren't pronounced like English ones. So, "M and G" would not be "em i djee" but closer to what I wrote earlier (em ee geh). However, it's simply MiG, "meeg".

Russian has a case system, very significant coincidence in my mind, perhaps too significant: и is pronounced like the i in itch or big

Maybe it depends on dialect, but I've always known "и" as in "fleet", not as in "big" (long i sound).

Saqson, you're Russian, help us decide!

Russian word миг means very short fraction of time and comes from the word мигать, which means "blink with an eye". The most common use of this word in Russian language are phrases like "сделать что-то мигом", which means "do smth. in a blink of an eye", i.e. very fast. Therefore, the abbreviation МиГ, apart from it's obvious meaning "Mikoyan and Gurevich" also suggests, that the object, bearing this name is something very fast. So, this name was definitely selected having more, then just abbreviation on their mind.

Woe be unto the guys who came up with "LaGG"

[SaQSoN]

Originally Posted by Romanator21

Maybe it depends on dialect, but I've always known "и" as in "fleet", not as in "big" (long i sound).
Saqson, you're Russian, help us decide!

I am not a philologist, though. As far, as it seems to me, that depends on the particular word and dialect. Basically, in Russian and other Slavic languages there is no special rule about vowels pronunciation (like this one short, that one long, etc.).

[major_setback]

Originally Posted by SaQSoN

Russian word миг means very short fraction of time and comes from the word мигать, which means "blink with an eye". The most common use of this word in Russian language are phrases like "сделать что-то мигом", which means "do smth. in a blink of an eye", i.e. very fast. Therefore, the abbreviation МиГ, apart from it's obvious meaning "Mikoyan and Gurevich" also suggests, that the object, bearing this name is something very fast. So, this name was definitely selected having more, then just abbreviation on their mind.

Thanks for the explanation!

[engarde]

excellent, thanks to all for the clarification.