I agree with "KAH-toe." It just seems respectful to pronounce names as those who hold them determine. Titles--well, that's another matter. I once knew a guy whose last name was spelled C-o-r-n. People asked him how to pronouce it. The answer? "Corn"! My own last name, Leonard, usually comes out "LEE-oh-nard." That's when I know it's a telemarketer.
It's... ...Kato! Just like it's spelt. KAY TOE, with no space. Just ask me. OKah? Okah. Mark- or MACK if you're from BAstan, or Mauch if you're from Paterson.
You should know that Hiroshi (HEE-ROE-SHEE) Kato really hates hearing his last name mispronounced. Guess who he is? You're actually calling him by a different name. Maybe that's why US stuff is low on the list for them.
"My understanding is that the whole English spelling of Japanese words was imposed on Japan by the US after WWII. Kato or any other Japanese word spelled with our alphabet is a phonetic approximation of a traditional Japanese sound." This was all sorted out about the 16th century by Nobunaga, who was Shogun of Japan for awhile. The phonetic translations only have one problem syllable out of 48 (fu, which sounds like a cross of fu and pu) And it is Kah-Toe, each syllable spoken shortly. Some Japanese syllables have a different meaning when drawn out. Posted from 20 minutes south of Yokohama, Japan. (by train :>)
There's a lot in this hobby that's mispronounced. One of my friends back in Jr. high had a simple HO layout and pronounced couplers, "co-plurs." I think the problem is that most things in this hobby are visual, which includes literal text. It's not like there's a Model RR cable TV network or radio show out there to guide our spoken vocabulary. I used to pronounce "Kadee" as "kuh-DEE."
This is a really interesting thread. I would never have thought that a thread on how to pronounce a name would go 6 pages long. Cool!
The "th" in German is often pronounced "t", as in Neanderthal. The "v" is an "f" and the "w" is somewhere between "v" and "w", hence Volkswagen. There are many dialects in German, and a big push in the 90s to standardize spelling. The gutturals, particularly "ch", take a while to master. I thought I was doing a pretty good job with it until I went there regularly in the late 80s. I guess you could say I spoke American standard German while Germans spoke nearly perfect American English or, in Brussels, English English. I can speak Friesen (a regional language in the Netherlands) quite well because of my first wife and my studies of Old English, as the two languages are quite similar, and a good bit of Dutch (my ex-father-in-law). I can speak enough Italian to swear at my cars. My Yiddish is improving from Jeanne's side of the family. I guess I'm saying that pronunciation is important. Regional accents within a language are just fine! I revert to my Bostonian accent within 30 seconds of being there, and we all have grand fun here in New Mexico when I come back. International dealings between languages are really smoother if you know something about the pronounciation of the "other" language. In Friesan, I am Piet (two syllables), not Pete, and my first wife was Baukje, not Barbara. It makes a difference. Of, course, I'm a writer, and I love language, both properly written and spoken.
Since no one took me up on this "Albert Szent-Gyorgyi" is pronounced All-burt Saunt Gorg, with both "g's" being soft, as in the second "g" in "garage." The "Gy" and "gyi" are both soft "g's" You could also spell Szent as Sont, not pronounced as "don't" but as "Sawnt." It meants Saint.
I'm still wondering about the pronunciation "Shray-der" as in Schroeder Hotel (in Milwaukee). Lucy pronounces her pianist friend's name "Shrow-der". And I don't know the correct pronunciation for Alton, IL. Al-ton or All-ton? Ben
Kato- I've seen this topic come up before. It's always amused me that we should fall all over ourselves worrying. He couldn't pronounce my name correctly as I say it... I'm not going to worry about this one way street. There's no insult in mispronunciation of a name, when communicating across a language barrier. I've had to do it many, many times. It's understood. And good businessmen simply move beyond the moment. Boxcab E50
Then you can get into regional dialects, etc. Here's one: Saco, Maine, on The Bridgton & Saco River RR, or Saco, Montana, on the GN/BN/BNSF. The first is pronounced SAW-koh. (And if you don't, many locals become indignant. BLEH.) The latter is pronounced SAY-koh. And nobody here worries if you slip up. It's no big deal. We know what you mean. And don't get hung up.... mg: :sad: Boxcab E50