Indigenous signs for cities in the Russian Federation (Российской Федерации)

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Explanation of glossing system used
(to understand how I describe the signs in this dictionary)

Chelyabinsk (Челябинск)
[horns], PO down, FO > NDS, touch forehead, then chin.2

Donets'k (Донецк)
Tap chest with heel of [B], PO up.2

Kharkiv (Харьков)
[L:], PO towards, is held high and circles horizontally.2 (< BOSS, because the train would stop there for the factory.)

Kiev (Киев)
[V:] taps cheek.2

Leningrad (Ленинград)
(1) (2h)[5], PO ><, DH closer to body, wg while passing each other.1 [< soldiers marching past Lenin's tomb?] (2) [O^] touches chin, then touches NDH [B], PO up, FO away. [< Lenin's beard and the sign GRAD ("city").]2

Lvov (Львов)
[5], touches shoulder and ascends while closing to [O^] 3x.1

Moscow (Москва)
[A] strikes palm side to cheek twice.2 For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see Woordenboek Nederlands - Vlaamse Gebarentaal: Moskou.

Nizhily Novgorod, formerly Kubijschev (Новгород)
[5], PO > NDS, touches temple and wiggles fingers.2

Odessa (Одесса)
Index finger flicks against thumb at NDS shoulder.2

Petropavlosk-Kamchaskiv (Петропавловск)
[5], PO > NDS, touches NDS of chin with thumbside of index finger, then is drawn across the mouth while closing to [O^].2

St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербурге)
(1) [5:] touches ND shoulder with FO > NDS.2 [from the epaulettes on the shoulders of the czar.] (2) (2h)[B], POs > signer, FOs > opposite side, interlink thumbs and abruptly swing the FTs to point upwards while the thumbs are still linked.2 (< the imperial eagle.)

Tashkent (Ташкент)
[open 8] grasps wrist of NDH and pivot DH greatly.2 (< the bracelets worn by women in the region.)

Tblissi (Тбилиси)
(2h)[5], PO down, stroke chest with thumbsides.2 (< big belts.)

Yekaterinburg, Gaky (Екатеринбург)
[X], PO > NDS, twists around nose while maintaining contact.2 (< the suffering due to bitter winters.)

List of sources cited

1. Signs around the world: Cities [Videotape]. Burtonsville, MD: Sign Media.
2. Arkady Belozovsky (native sign informant), personal communication, 1998.

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