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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: How to Pronounce Beijing?
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Date: Wed, 21 Jun 1995 00:16:09 GMT
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In article <DA4HCJ.K5@spss.com>, Mark Rosenfelder <markrose@spss.com> wrote:

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

Not exactly.  The palatalisation of c,k -> q and z,g -> j before i
is a relatively recent phenomenon in Mandarin and the change is not 
present in all Mandarin dialects.  I've read (in Moser's _The Chinese
Mosaic_) that a c/q and z/j distinction still exists in Tianjin, for 
instance, which is only a few minutes by rail from Beijing.  The 
traditional English form "Tientsin" is therefore a better guide to the 
local pronunciation.

"Peking" was a reasonable approximation of a common local pronunciation
of the capitol's name during the time when the Jesuits began establishing
themselves there.
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
