Comments on: Back to Beijing http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing Language in a word Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:46:09 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Nigel Greenwood http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing/comment-page-1#comment-609 Nigel Greenwood Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:15:12 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing#comment-609 As a follow-up, I should add that Iranian names are a bit of a minefield. Given that there are 2 As (roughly as in cat & father) as well as the 2 Js we've discussed, that leaves you with less than a 1% chance of getting both Ahmadinejad and Larijani completely right by guesswork. For the record they should be cat, cat, zh, father & father, dj, father (in SAMPA: /{hm{dinE"ZAd/ & /lAridZA"ni/). As a follow-up, I should add that Iranian names are a bit of a minefield. Given that there are 2 As (roughly as in cat & father) as well as the 2 Js we’ve discussed, that leaves you with less than a 1% chance of getting both Ahmadinejad and Larijani completely right by guesswork. For the record they should be cat, cat, zh, father & father, dj, father (in SAMPA: /{hm{dinE”ZAd/ & /lAridZA”ni/).

]]> By: Nigel Greenwood http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing/comment-page-1#comment-602 Nigel Greenwood Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:54:28 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing#comment-602 The Iranian standup comic Omid Djalili has avoided any such problems by spelling his surname with a "Dj". I'm sure that if he hadn't people would be saying "Zhalili" before long. Jakarta would seem to be a counterexample (I don't think anyone says "Zhakarta", do they?). Of course it was formerly spelt Djakarta. And Indian names, for historical reasons, are similarly immune (Jaipur etc). The Iranian standup comic Omid Djalili has avoided any such problems by spelling his surname with a “Dj”. I’m sure that if he hadn’t people would be saying “Zhalili” before long.

Jakarta would seem to be a counterexample (I don’t think anyone says “Zhakarta”, do they?). Of course it was formerly spelt Djakarta. And Indian names, for historical reasons, are similarly immune (Jaipur etc).

]]> By: syz http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing/comment-page-1#comment-597 syz Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:35:07 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/back-to-beijing#comment-597 As a devoted Linguism fanatic, may I humbly suggest that this toothpaste is already out of the tube? Beizhing is spreading like food poisoning at a mayonnaise convention. To paraphrase a couple comments from the recent Beijing Sounds blog entry on the same subject (http://www.bjshengr.com/bjs/?p=74). 1. Even some Mandarin-speaking expats say it 2. It's only a matter of time before we hear Mandarin speakers struggling to pronounce Beizzhing "correctly" in English Peeve not. Tomato/tomahto. It's all non-native anyway. As a devoted Linguism fanatic, may I humbly suggest that this toothpaste is already out of the tube? Beizhing is spreading like food poisoning at a mayonnaise convention.

To paraphrase a couple comments from the recent Beijing Sounds blog entry on the same subject (http://www.bjshengr.com/bjs/?p=74).
1. Even some Mandarin-speaking expats say it
2. It’s only a matter of time before we hear Mandarin speakers struggling to pronounce Beizzhing “correctly” in English

Peeve not. Tomato/tomahto. It’s all non-native anyway.

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