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From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
Subject: Re: How to Pronounce Beijing?
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Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 17:45:54 GMT
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In article <3rk6dj$os5@rcsuna.gmr.com>, Kurt Godden  <godden@gmr.com> wrote:
[re 'Beijing']
>I've been in Hong Kong and heard it pronouned in Cantonese as /puhk:Ing/.
> How is it pronounced in Mandarin?

A first approximation would be "pay. ching!".  To improve on this, note that
the p is unaspirated and unvoiced, as in 'spay' or a whispered 'bay'.
The ch is also unaspirated and unvoiced.  Tone: as suggested by the
puncuation marks, the first syllable is low falling, the second is high 
and even.

So where does the k in 'Peking' come from?  From the southern dialects,
the first ones encountered by Westerners coming by sea.
