Author Topic: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
ellybeanjay 
Registered: Jul '00
45262_Yoda Tongue Smiley
Date Posted: 5/15 11:07pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
rsterling78 posted:
I'm sure there are nuances to pronouncing the name, but in the real world 'Win' is pretty much what you're going to get from the average English speaker. So why is the transliterated spelling so different from the pronunciation?
Okay, so then let's just cater to the lowest common denominator!

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
rsterling78 
Registered: May '02
7008_Clone Sergeant
Date Posted: 5/15 11:12pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
ellybeanjay posted:
Okay, so then let's just cater to the lowest common denominator!


Man, some days you just can't nguyen!

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
ellybeanjay 
Registered: Jul '00
45262_Yoda Tongue Smiley
Date Posted: 5/15 11:15pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
Why are country and county pronounced so differently when they're only one letter off?

The English language doesn't always make sense, so why should this be any different?

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
rsterling78 
Registered: May '02
7008_Clone Sergeant
Date Posted: 5/15 11:21pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
ellybeanjay posted:
Why are country and county pronounced so differently when they're only one letter off?


Uh...because they're one letter off?

Manslaughter.

Man's Laughter.

There, I did that with just an apostrophe and a space.

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
AaylaSecurOWNED 
Registered: May '05
23529_Aayla Secura
Date Posted: 5/15 11:21pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
Cultural insensitivity FTN!

 

-----signature-----
This is why women shouldn't be Jedi.


"I doubt anyone here has lost any rights they had before Bush became President."-Lassic
The above sentiment is dangerous to your freedom. Fight it and those who espouse it.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
MASTERPRENN 
Title: Moderator:
• JC Community
Forum Feud Winner

Registered: Dec '05
46271_Raana Tey
Date Posted: 5/15 11:22pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
I see nghat you did there!

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon 
Registered: Dec '00
17824_Kieran Halcyon
Date Posted: 5/15 11:29pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
rsterling78 posted:
How the blazes do you get 'Win' from 'Nguyen'?





How the blazes do you get 'looz' from 'lose'?

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
ellybeanjay 
Registered: Jul '00
45262_Yoda Tongue Smiley
Date Posted: 5/15 11:35pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen' - Date Edited: 5/15 11:36pm (2 edits total) Edited By: ellybeanjay
Thanks for the other example.

Explain the logic that makes laughter laff-ter, but when you add an s to the beginning it's slot-er

After you do that, we can go into how count can be pronounced both 'CUNTry' and 'COWNTy'.

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon 
Registered: Dec '00
17824_Kieran Halcyon
Date Posted: 5/15 11:38pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen' - Date Edited: 5/15 11:38pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon
ellybeanjay posted:
After you do that, we can go into how count can be pronounced both 'CUN-tree' and 'COWN-tee'.


De-censorized!

Whoa, how'd you do that?!

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Darth_Guy 
Registered: Aug '02
17265_Lumpy
Date Posted: 5/15 11:42pm Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
NAUGHTY WORD

 

-----signature-----
Gravity has taken better men than me.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
Jedi_Reject_Jesse 
Registered: Aug '04
41072_Paxi Sylo
Date Posted: 5/16 8:14am Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
I shelve items on hold for customers at my library so I see a lot of very strange names. Thongphethept being my favorite.

 

-----signature-----
I have defied gods and demons.
With a robotic, narcotic in da pocket!
I hunger when I hear the name of burger.
Member of THE BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA GOPHERS OF RECKONING!!!
Have a nice internet.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
DarthPhelps 
Registered: Jan '02
8187_Luke Skywalker
Date Posted: 5/16 8:27am Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
rsterling78 posted:
I'm sure there are nuances to pronouncing the name, but in the real world 'Win' is pretty much what you're going to get from the average English speaker. So why is the transliterated spelling so different from the pronunciation?





I hate to say it, but I often wonder this sort of thing myself.



Perhaps it would help to know (since I'm ingorant of the answer) - is Korean letters character-based like Chinese and Japanese? If so, rsterling78 has a good question. As the history progressed and the world became a smaller place, and cultures encountered each other and learned each other's languages - how do such spellings come about?

 

-----signature-----
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Sometimes I wake up grumpy. Other times I let her sleep.
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
ApolloSmileGirl 
Title: Champion:
Around the Arena

Registered: Jun '04
17655_Padme Waves Goodbye
Date Posted: 5/16 8:32am Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
Explain what the proper pronunciation for an "American" surname like Glasscock should be, while you're at it.

 

-----signature-----
Queen " Baadasssss Pixie" of the Knights of the Sarcasm Table
At first when I see you cry....Yeah, it makes me smile
Yeah, it makes me smile
At worst I feel bad for a while, But then I just smile
I go ahead and smile...... happy
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
darth_gersh 
Registered: Feb '05
17280_Wampa<br>Toy
Date Posted: 5/16 8:36am Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
It's their last name and they can pronounce it anyway they like.

 

-----signature-----
Bring on the Wookiee!
"All things truly wicked start from innocence". Ernest Hemingway
Save the Great White Sharks! nerd
Crash's site soon to be up http://sharkconservationsociety.org
I'm a Map Geek!
Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History
ellybeanjay 
Registered: Jul '00
45262_Yoda Tongue Smiley
Date Posted: 5/16 9:25am Subject: RE: The Vietnamese family name 'Nguyen'
DarthPhelps posted:
rsterling78 posted:
I'm sure there are nuances to pronouncing the name, but in the real world 'Win' is pretty much what you're going to get from the average English speaker. So why is the transliterated spelling so different from the pronunciation?





I hate to say it, but I often wonder this sort of thing myself.



Perhaps it would help to know (since I'm ingorant of the answer) - is Korean letters character-based like Chinese and Japanese? If so, rsterling78 has a good question. As the history progressed and the world became a smaller place, and cultures encountered each other and learned each other's languages - how do such spellings come about?
I don't know for sure, but this is my best guess, knowing what I do about Arabic transliteration. My guess is that each part of the Nguyen corresponds to a different character - Win is the way that we simplify it, but I doubt that's the way that it's traditionally pronounced. The 'ng' is probably one character in and of itself, that sounds like our 'w', but has its own nuances. The same with the 'uy'.

The cultural insensitivity comes in when you say "screw your way of transliterating, I'm going to pronounce it 'NehGooYen' because it's your own damn fault for not spelling it in a way that makes sense to me."

 

Post Reply | Quote Reply | Active Topic Notification | Private Message | Post History