Yixing - a or an?
Yixing is pronounced eek-sing, or ee-shing, or yeeshing, acording to 3 different authors. Is this subject to regional asian accents or dialect?
yes.
In China, the pronounciation changes dramaticlly even over very small distances. To give a few examples: I was living in a mid-sized city in the North Central area near some mountains. I went out to the mountains for a week or so to just wander around aimlessly with my girlfriend. We were both very surprised to find out that we couldn't understand a word they were saying out there. Now I have an excuse -- my ability with Mandarin is still in it's youth, and there's lots that I still don't understand. But she's a native Chinese speaker who lives in a city only 3 hours away. And she couldn't understand them any better than I could.
For another example, that same girlfriend, she was from JiangXi province (which is next to AnHui, the province a lot of tea comes from, and on the other side of AnHui from JiangSu, the province where YiXing pots are made). We could converse in English or Mandarin, depending on what we felt like speaking at that moment.. But when she would call home to talk to her parents, they were literally speaking another langauge. I asked her if it was Cantonese one time and she said "No.. It's JiangXiHua" (JiangXiHua means "the language spoken in JiangXi (how helpful hehe)).
So, my point is, that trying to figure out the pronounciation of a Chinese word can be like chasing a willow-the-whisp. There are two routes to go by, to solve this problem. The first one, is to learn the "Official Standard Mandarin Pronounciation". This has only been that standard since Mao made it that way, and lots of people don't really care about what Mao thinks the standard should be. The second route is to always use the Chinese characters, instead of speaking. These are a lingua franca of the Chinese world. They can be understood by anyone in China, and lots of people outside of China in neighboring countries.
For the record, Mao says you should pronounce it this way:
Yi = "Eee" (as in eagle)
Xing = "Shing" (as in shingle)
(minus the -gle in both examples)
The "X" sound doesn't exactly sound like "Sh", the best way to describe it is "use more teeth" meaning, pull your lips tightand open them, but keep your teeth closed and made a very harsh "Sh" sound. The difference is subtle, but it is noticeable, and make a difference in meaning.
Hope that helps,
Troy
In China, the pronounciation changes dramaticlly even over very small distances. To give a few examples: I was living in a mid-sized city in the North Central area near some mountains. I went out to the mountains for a week or so to just wander around aimlessly with my girlfriend. We were both very surprised to find out that we couldn't understand a word they were saying out there. Now I have an excuse -- my ability with Mandarin is still in it's youth, and there's lots that I still don't understand. But she's a native Chinese speaker who lives in a city only 3 hours away. And she couldn't understand them any better than I could.
For another example, that same girlfriend, she was from JiangXi province (which is next to AnHui, the province a lot of tea comes from, and on the other side of AnHui from JiangSu, the province where YiXing pots are made). We could converse in English or Mandarin, depending on what we felt like speaking at that moment.. But when she would call home to talk to her parents, they were literally speaking another langauge. I asked her if it was Cantonese one time and she said "No.. It's JiangXiHua" (JiangXiHua means "the language spoken in JiangXi (how helpful hehe)).
So, my point is, that trying to figure out the pronounciation of a Chinese word can be like chasing a willow-the-whisp. There are two routes to go by, to solve this problem. The first one, is to learn the "Official Standard Mandarin Pronounciation". This has only been that standard since Mao made it that way, and lots of people don't really care about what Mao thinks the standard should be. The second route is to always use the Chinese characters, instead of speaking. These are a lingua franca of the Chinese world. They can be understood by anyone in China, and lots of people outside of China in neighboring countries.
For the record, Mao says you should pronounce it this way:
Yi = "Eee" (as in eagle)
Xing = "Shing" (as in shingle)
(minus the -gle in both examples)
The "X" sound doesn't exactly sound like "Sh", the best way to describe it is "use more teeth" meaning, pull your lips tightand open them, but keep your teeth closed and made a very harsh "Sh" sound. The difference is subtle, but it is noticeable, and make a difference in meaning.
Hope that helps,
Troy
Troy Howard aka Da Tong (大筒), Fine Chinese Tea Sales
Happy Panda Tea Co. 快乐熊猫茶司 (KuaiLe XiongMao ChaSi)
Portland, Oregon
illium37@yahoo.com (email me for more info!)
Happy Panda Tea Co. 快乐熊猫茶司 (KuaiLe XiongMao ChaSi)
Portland, Oregon
illium37@yahoo.com (email me for more info!)
Thanks Troy. That's very interesting. The art of regional dialectical variation still thrives in the world in spite of all efforts by philosopher kings and media elites to disparage, diminish and destroy such disorder. Here in Kentucky there are such differences, for example Louisville was pronounced Loo-ee-vee-yuh in the original French. Folks in eastern Kentucky around Pikeville (called "Pahk- vl" by the locals) will pronounce Louisville as "Loo-vl", while folks in the Louisville area typically sneak in a third syllable and say "Loo-uh-vl." Here in central Kentucky both of those variations are heard, as well as local variations like "Loo-ee-vil." I even heard someone say "Loo-iss-vil" once. I think he was from Philly (hehe).
I am in favor of Americanizing the word Yixing as follows:
Yix = Yicks (this first syllable having the yi sounded as in "yippee", and this syllable being stressed)
in = in (this second syllable, prounounced as in the word "in", or with the "i" more muted, as is commonly the case with final syllable vowel sounds.)
This pronounciation will rhyme with fixin' and Nixon (as in President Richard Nixon). I recently saw a Yixing pot bearing Mao's likeness for sale on e-bay. Seeing that, it struck me that Richard Nixon's face should be put on some pots. Yes, the man had his flaws, but he did much to pave the road for improved US relations and trade with China. Without Nixon we would have less China tea and no Yixing pots on e-bay, but there were no Nixon Yixin' pots.
I am in favor of Americanizing the word Yixing as follows:
Yix = Yicks (this first syllable having the yi sounded as in "yippee", and this syllable being stressed)
in = in (this second syllable, prounounced as in the word "in", or with the "i" more muted, as is commonly the case with final syllable vowel sounds.)
This pronounciation will rhyme with fixin' and Nixon (as in President Richard Nixon). I recently saw a Yixing pot bearing Mao's likeness for sale on e-bay. Seeing that, it struck me that Richard Nixon's face should be put on some pots. Yes, the man had his flaws, but he did much to pave the road for improved US relations and trade with China. Without Nixon we would have less China tea and no Yixing pots on e-bay, but there were no Nixon Yixin' pots.