Re: CHAT: "boocoo"

Quoting John Cowan <jcowan@...>:


> > or "Japan" [dZ@'p&n] out of "Nippon"
>
> Probably through some kind of Chinese, like "ribenguo" or the like.
> Chinese initial "r" is pretty close to /Z/.
>
I've heard that "Nippon" was borrowed into some northern dialect, and then read
in Hokkien as something European traders heard as "Japan". "Zipango" is supposed
to have a similar origin, with the final syllable from Chinese "guo".


                                                 Andreas

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