From: Doug Ewell (dewell@adelphia.net)
Date: Mon Dec 15 2003 - 13:34:41 EST
From: "Patrick Andries" <Patrick dot Andries at xcential dot com> WROTE:
>>> Because according to the articles this was the original English
>>> spelling before the occupying Japanese authorities changed the
>>> initial C by a K so that Korea would follow Japan in alphabetical
>>> order.
>>
>> This seems very misguided, if true.
>
> According to the Berliner Zeitung this is what happened in the 1908
> Olympic Games
Interesting snippet. Yes, apparently this is documented to have been
Japan's motivation. I still contend that it was very much misguided,
and poorly aimed.
Also, thank you for pointing out (indirectly) that the time period in
question was not immediately prior to World War II, but earlier in the
century. Of course, that only solidifies my point; French was an even
more important "world language" in the early 1900's, due partly to
France's worldwide network of colonies, so the decision by Japan to
impose a spelling change for English but not French seems even more
questionable.
>> Furthermore, Japan in the pre-WWII era was still relatively isolated
>> and anti-Western. Did it really matter to the Imperial authorities
>> how things were spelled in English (while simultaneously ignoring the
>> French spellings)?
>
> I do not know if such reasoning (although true) prove wrong what the
> Berliner Zeitung reports. I have been told people (and countries)
> sometimes do irrational things.
Indeed.
>> Alternative English spellings of non-Latin-alphabet place names were
>> common in the pre-WWII era. In addition to "Corea," you will also
>> find "Tokio" and "Bagdad" in American literature of the day.
>
> How about Irak ?
>
> (In French today we still write Corée, Badgad and Irak.
recte "Bagdad"
> Anyone writing
> Korée, Baghdad or Iraq would only appear to be ignorant and
> transcribing directly from American newsfeeds or irreversibly pedant.)
There is really no practical difference between "Iraq" and "Irak," or
between "Bagdad" and "Baghdad" -- it's not as if English speakers
actually pronounce the Arabic "q" or "gh" when they say these names.
It's all you can do to stop some Americans from saying "eye-rack."
-Doug Ewell
Fullerton, California
http://users.adelphia.net/~dewell/
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