[noise] Romanization: Ayeka


to tenchi@usagi.jrd.dec.com
cc aboyd1@grfn.org
from Luriko-Ysabeth <iac@umich.edu>
subject [noise] Romanization: Ayeka
date Mon, 2 Jun 1997 15:04:19 -0400 (EDT)
The Japanese language was not always pronounced as it is now (H used to be
pronounced P, and what was pronounced H is W before A and nothing before
other vowels [witness the archaic spellings of the particles ha/wa and
he/e], as just one example). Moreover, the pronunciation had changed
drastically by the time the kana were invented, and some sounds such as
the umlaut-e syllables (including y*e*) were modified into their
e-counterparts, except that instead of "ye" it became "e." I would guess
that maybe a thousand years ago the fold character was on occasion
pronounced "ye" (this is the kanji in the middle of Aeka's name). It seems
a little silly to me (similar romanizations would give "midu," "Tukuyomi,"
and "Tsutsanowo" -- OBVIOUSLY not used) but as far as I'm concerned
romanizations of names are pretty much whatever your eyes accept as making
that sound (for instance, I usually spell the long o written "o"-"u" in
kana as "oh" to keep my head from getting mixed up with Greek, where "ou"
is a long "u", except in certain cases where it looks crummy in one part
of the word, so then I use o-u throughout). 
(All information on antique Japanese pronunciations taken from a really
good translation of the Kojiki which I returned to the library yesterday,
so I can't give publication facts.)

Sincerely,
Luriko-Ysabeth
hon otaku
Sosai/Pooh-Bah for life of the Washuu-sensei Rules club
member in good standing of #WEIRD#
mild itinericula
member of the #SkAS#

"Agnosco veteris vestigia flammae."
	--Elissa, Aeneis Vergilii

"But I claim there will be some who remember us when we are gone."
	--Sappho of Mytilene


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