Re: USAGE: The name "Chiang Kai-shek"

John writes:

>  > Wu dialects are
>>  known for converting syllable-final consonants to glottal stops,
>
>Not only that, but they don't have diphthongs.  I think Wu can be ruled out.
Never noticed or thought about this. Totally kewl! Thanks for a new
observation.

>  > I would've thought Cantonese would get
>>  you close on the "gaaisek" part, but "jiang" becomes, I believe,
>>  "jeung".
>
>Cantonese doesn't have on-glides in any of its finals, so it too is out.
What are on-glides?

>  > Taiwanese (Minnan) is the most likely candidate since
>>  "jiang" remains "jiang", and "jie" is "gai". "Stone" in baihua
>>  Taiwanese is "jio", but I think the wenyanwen reading is along the
>>  lines of "si(e)k", so I'll need to check the dictionary over the
>>  weekend.
>
>The trouble with Minnan, or at least Amoy Minnan, is that there are
>no shibilants:  the "shek" would have to be "tsek".  It's hard to believe
>that anyone would write "sh" for "ts".
Now here, I beg to differ. Then what do you transcribe for "die". In
any of the variants I've heard, it vacillates between "si2" and "xi2"
("see" and "xi", pinyin pronunciation for the latter). Now I lied and
did not check the font-of-all-wisdom dictionary this weekend, but
"sik", "sek", "siek", or "xik" (again, pinyin x) seem viable options.

Kou

Reply