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From: yuhan@ellie.UUCP (Albert Hanyong Yuhan)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: Pronouncing Japanese brand names
Message-ID: <741@ellie.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 29-Dec-85 23:44:14 EST
Article-I.D.: ellie.741
Posted: Sun Dec 29 23:44:14 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 31-Dec-85 01:01:37 EST
References: <747@terak.UUCP> <2379@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
Lines: 42

> The Japanese I (pronounced to write with "key") and U (pronounced to
> rhyme with "boo") are indeed often unaccentuated.  In creating Japanese
> versions of foreign words, other vowels may also be swallowed so that
> "sutoraiki" (strike) is pronounced to rhyme with "nigh-key."
> 
> Matsushita is syllabified as Ma-Tsu-Shi-Ta and pronounced Mats(u)-sh'ta.
> Nikon would be Nee-kohn (rhymes with keytone).
> Nissan is Nees-sahn.
> Hitachi has the first syllable almost swallowed and is pronounced
>   Hee-tah-chee.
> Fujitsu (Fu-ji-tsu):  Fu is written as part of the H-line and pronounced
>   with rounded lips rather than a labiodental.  It's Foo-jee-ts(u)
> Toshiba is toe-she-bah
> 
> All of these are even-stressed, with no syllable accentuated.
> 
> --Lee Gold

     For borrowed words and foreign names, it is, in general, not only
futile, but also harmful to attempt to be loyal to the pronunciation of
the word in the original language.  Every language has, again in general,
a phonemic system different from other languages.  Importing foreign
words with forced foreign readings contributes to mess up the host
language.  Note that, in English, we do not read Paris [p'aRi].  
There is no phonological rule that even lets us suspect that the
reading of "Nikon" would be /Nee-kohn/.  We have to understand that,
no matter what our reading for "Nikon" is, it is going to sound weird
to Japanese native speakers anyway.  "Nikon" should be plainly Nikon
in America.  In Japan, they say Coffee [kohi], and they are not wrong
in doing so.
     Along the same line, I argue that we should stop reading "J"s
as if they were an "h" whenever it is found in a Spanish-origined
words unless we re-spell such words to preserve the original readings
rather than the letters.
-- 
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