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Re: Language naming terminology

From:David Crowell <dpctrdk@...>
Date:Friday, September 25, 1998, 0:59
Our word for [Japan] is from the Chinese pronunciation of the word:
[Jih-pen (Wade) / Ryhbeen (Gwoyeu) / Rben (Yale) ]:[spelling (which
Romanization]

Chuugoku and Kankoku are also from Chinese names for these countries.
[Jonggwo, Haan-gwo (Gwoyeu)
Nik Taylor wrote:
> Japan = Nihon or Nippon (written with kanji meaning "origin" and "sun") > China = Chuugoku (written with kanji meaning "middle" and "country") > Korea = Kankoku (written with a compound kanji, the second means > "country", I don't know what the first means)
[Eikoku] and [Beikoku] are from the Chinese [Inggwo, Miigwo (a varient of Meeigwo (Beautiful-country)] shorten versions of [Injyilih (in Japanese: Igiri(su)), Yahmeelihjia (Jap: Amerika) [Supein] is apparently from the English word for the country.
> England = Eikoku (literally "Proud" or "Brilliant" Country!) OR Igirisu > (I don't know why it's not *Ingirisu) > Spain = Supein (not *Esupanya) > America = Amerika or Beikoku (literally "Country of Rice"!) >
In Chinese to shorten long foreign words they sometimes take the first character from the longer version of the word and add another word that describes what they are talking about. And when the Japanese borrowed the words [Beikoku, Eikoku, Beikoku], this apparent was the then-current names of the countries.
> I don't know why some have -koku at the end, but they retain those with > nationality and language, so Korean person = Kankokujin, Korean language > = Kankokugo > > -- > "God is dead" -- Nietzsche > "Nietzsche is dead" -- God > ICQ #: 18656696 > AOL screen-name: NikTailor
-- vay' DaSovbe'bogh DaqellaHbe', 'ach DuHoHlaH vay'vam. lete djuno befidocuse terpa dogi'e catru do in ahmo ticmati ca ahhuel mitzahmana ca huel mitzmictia What you don't know you can't worry about, but it can kill you. mughtej jIH co'omi'exe fanva tadni nehhuatl nitlatolcuepamatini Metamorphologist DPC Books in foreign languages: http://www.aims.books