Re: A BrSc a? & Nyuu Romaji
From: | John Cowan <jcowan@...> |
Date: | Sunday, April 21, 2002, 19:50 |
Tim May scripsit:
> > I can't quite tell if you realize that "Myanmar" is pronounced ['b@m@].
> Are you _certain_ about this? Everything I can find contradicts it.
The spelling "Burma(h)" is a transcription of the sound of the native
word using (British) English conventions. The spelling "Myanmar" is
a letter-by-letter transliteration of the script into Latin script.
The underlying sound is the same. Doubtless some people say
/mjanmar/ or /majanmar/ or the like, but they are wrong just the same.
This article says "Myanmar or Burma" and gives the pron. "bu^rmu"
where the last u is italic, presumably representing a schwa.
Note that the same thing is done with "Yangon formerly Rangoon", the
capital, pron. "rang-GOON".
This is the AHD, which is probably reflecting the incorrect pron.
If people read "Livorno" and say "Leghorn", a dictionary must say so.
--
John Cowan <jcowan@...> http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith. --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_
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