Shawarma or shawarma - there is only one correct option

Shawarma or shawarma: what's the difference

And there is no difference. Grilled meat, then finely chopped and wrapped in lavash or pita meat is an ancient and very popular dish. In the Middle East, it has been eaten for several centuries, and each nationality pronounces the name of the treat in its own way. Shawarma, shawarma, shaorma, shawarma, shvarma, shuarma …

The pronunciation and spelling of a word in Russian depends only on the language from which it was borrowed in a particular area. Hence the insignificant play of letters.

Because of this game, however, serious controversy occurs. For example, in Moscow it is customary to speak exclusively shawarma (the portal "Gramota.ru" suggests 7 questions about shawarma and shawarma, that in the capital there are simply more native speakers of the language where this name of fried meat is traditional). In St. Petersburg, they love shawarma.

Some Petersburgers, defending their ideas about literacy and the cultural code, even demanded. The Petersburg deputy proposed to ban the word "shawarma" by legislatively prohibiting shawarma within the city boundaries. Based on this incident, one can imagine the level of intensity of culinary and cultural passions of a relatively harmless, in general, word.

How is it right - shawarma or shawarma

In written speech, one option is considered correct - shawarma. In the latest academic dictionaries, only this word is recorded, there is no shawarma there.

It is about the "Russian Spelling Dictionary" edited by V. V. Lopatin, O. E. Ivanova and the "Great Orthoepic Dictionary of the Russian Language" by M. L. Kalenchuk, L. L. Kasatkina, R. F. Kasatkina. Both editions were published in 2012 by the staff of the V. V. Vinogradov Moscow Institute of the Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

But you can say whatever you like. According to linguists, 7 questions about shawarma and shawarma, shawarma continues to be a word in the Russian language and a vivid example of Petersburg speech.

Can shawarma get into written speech

It may well be that shawarma will also be included in dictionaries. There are several prerequisites for this.

First, some linguists believe that the word shawarma is phonetically more literate and convenient, since the Russian language does not welcome the confluence of two vowels, as in shawarma.

Secondly, in 2017, experts from the Vinogradov Institute of the Russian Language named Shaverma and allowed to call it a schwarma the possible inclusion of the word shawarma and other variants, such as schwarma, in explanatory dictionaries.

Well, the literalists from among lovers of minced meat have long been anticipating the release of the corresponding volume of the "Great Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language". This most authoritative publication is being prepared by the St. Petersburg Institute of Linguistic Research, Russian Academy of Sciences. The multivolume dictionary has been published since 2004. So far, 24 volumes have been released, experts have reached the letter C.

It remains to wait until the dictionary reaches the letter W and finally understands the meat that is equally tasty, even in the form of shawarma, or shawarma. It is very likely that both names will finally receive identical rights.