>>>>Who is interested, can look at one of my daughter's web pages where she has some chapters summarized.
>>>>
>>>>http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/2572/ring/index.html
>>>
>>>Out of interest, why does your daughter add an "a" to the end of her last name?
>>>See bottom of page for "Nadya Neklioudova"
>>
>>Because in Russian "a" is a female ending.
>>
>>If my last name is Neklioudov, hers is Neklioudova. This works for most Russian last names and was also applied to many last names from former Soviet Asian republics, But there are also many exclusions, for example Russian last names which end with "o" (most of them are Ukranian and Belorussian origin), some groups of last names from Siberia, last names from other Soviet republics/nations which already have specific endings, foreign last names (remember Ed Pikman?) etc. It really is very complicated, but it is a part of the culture.
>>
>>So, knowing that my daughter's last name is Neklioudova, and calling me "Mr. Neklioudova" you assign a female ending to my last name and that's not right :)
>>
>>Many people from Russia just prefer to loose the "a" completely and not explain all this stuff. :) People from the other emigration waves (for example before and after the revolution of 1917) often have the ending "ff" instead of "v" and do not add "a" as female ending. (everybody knows Smirnoff vodka :)
>>
>>Now guess what Nadya Nosonovsky last name really is... :)
>
>Nick;
>
>Interesting! When my GreatGrandFather passed away his wife changed the ending of her last name from ski to ska. This was around the 1920's, and Polish customs may have changed by now. Perhaps this is a Slavic custom, using the “a” ending to denote a female. In other cultures I am aware of the last name remains the same regardless of the gender of the person involved.
>
>Tom

Yes, "ski" or "sky" often considered a Polish ending, but not neccesarily the case. Many Russian last names end with "ski/sky" but are not of Polish origin.