Comments on: Lee, Elections, Burger King, and Student Suicides: TPR News for June 12, 2007 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/06/12/lee-elections-burger-king-and-student-suicides-tpr-news-for-june-12-2007/ Independent Podcasting from Tokyo. Featuring Seijigiri, a discussion of Japanese news and politics, as well as TPR News, our twice a week look at Japan's top stories. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:39:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/06/12/lee-elections-burger-king-and-student-suicides-tpr-news-for-june-12-2007/#comment-151865 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:43:51 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/06/12/lee-elections-burger-king-and-student-suicides-tpr-news-for-june-12-2007/#comment-151865 Much obliged. As you have surely guessed by now, my Chinese ability ends at "How much is it?" The Romanization of Chinese fascinates me because, unlike the Romanization of Japanese, it isn't really at all close to the actual pronunciation of the actual words - in Wade-Giles or Pinyin. (Granted, I have proven that I don't pronounce either correctly.) Why is Qin "Qin" and not "Chin"? Neither is perfect, but the idea of Romanization is to make a language comprehensible to those who don't read or write it? When Mao proposed replacing hanzi with Pinyin, did he think Q was easier for the illiterate than ch? Isn't it interesting that the pronunciation of the Romanization of a name can be clarified by re-Romanizing it? I seriously am glad you corrected me, though, MTC. Is the "ui" dipthong always pronounced as "way"? Much obliged. As you have surely guessed by now, my Chinese ability ends at “How much is it?”

The Romanization of Chinese fascinates me because, unlike the Romanization of Japanese, it isn’t really at all close to the actual pronunciation of the actual words - in Wade-Giles or Pinyin. (Granted, I have proven that I don’t pronounce either correctly.)

Why is Qin “Qin” and not “Chin”? Neither is perfect, but the idea of Romanization is to make a language comprehensible to those who don’t read or write it?

When Mao proposed replacing hanzi with Pinyin, did he think Q was easier for the illiterate than ch?

Isn’t it interesting that the pronunciation of the Romanization of a name can be clarified by re-Romanizing it?

I seriously am glad you corrected me, though, MTC. Is the “ui” dipthong always pronounced as “way”?

]]> by: MTC http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/06/12/lee-elections-burger-king-and-student-suicides-tpr-news-for-june-12-2007/#comment-151771 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 08:52:27 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/06/12/lee-elections-burger-king-and-student-suicides-tpr-news-for-june-12-2007/#comment-151771 Please, please. You're killing me. The former president's name is pronounced LEE-DUNG-HWAY. Please, please. You’re killing me.

The former president’s name is pronounced LEE-DUNG-HWAY.

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