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From: stanwyck@ihuxr.UUCP (Don Stanwyck)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Chinese<==>English transliteration
Message-ID: <657@ihuxr.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Sep-83 12:33:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxr.657
Posted: Thu Sep 22 12:33:27 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Sep-83 01:32:29 EDT
References: <663@grkermit.UUCP>
Organization: BTL Naperville, Il.
Lines: 19


The originally accepted method of Romanization of Manderin was the Wade-Giles
method, named after one each of a French and a British missionary.  The 
technique does not come close to modern English prounciation.  The Wade Giles
system uses apostrophes ("'") for asperation marks, such that the syllable
Pei is unasperated, while P'ei is asperated.  The actual pronounciation of 
those two syllables is very close the the English "bay" and "pay", resp.

The new system is called PinYin.  It is the official PRC method of trans-
literation.  It is used in the English language papers in the PRC, as well
as in all PRC releases.  The new spellings are much closer to English, with
a few exceptions for things that don't really come across.  Example:

The Manderin language has, in addition to a "shi" (as in she) and a "si"
(as in see), an intermediate sound.  The romanization of this is now "xi",
or in the Yale romanization technique "syi".  It is not as harsh as "sh",
but more asperated than "si".

don stanwyck : 312-979-6667 : ihnp4!ihuxr!stanwyck : bell labs @ naperville