How the Experts Pronounce “Beijing”
I’ve been home from China for a while now, and I’ve noticed a phenomenon when talking to certain people. It’s called the “I know more than you do” effect. And it’s not me doing it! Oddly enough, when I mention to others that I lived in China for two years, they proceed to tell me everything they know about the country as if I couldn’t possibly have heard this before.
“Did you know the Chinese government has built huge cities that nobody lives in?” Yes, I know. “Did you know that every area in China has its own dialect?” Yes, I know. “Did you know…?” Yes, I know! I was there!
I appreciate that they want to discuss China, but it’s hard to take their attempts to one-up me seriously when they can’t even pronounce the names of the cities correctly. It irks me when someone pretends to be an “expert” on China but keeps saying the name Shanghai with an A (as in Sh-ay-nghai) or Beijing with a “zh” (like in the word measure).
The Shanghai thing, I can forgive, even though it’s supposed to be an “ah” sound. The pronunciation of Beijing, however, really gets under my skin. Where did “zh” come from? It’s a J! You’re basically saying “jingle” without the “le.” For those who know nothing about China, you’re excused on this, but if you’re trying to impress people with your Chinese knowledge, at least learn the name of the capital.
Responses to “How the Experts Pronounce “Beijing””
Comments RSS Feed – All CommentsJared Stein — 8 September 2011 @ 1:59 pm
I just remind them that Westerners used to call it Peking, and that’s about as close to the actual pronunciation as theirs is.
Nathan Woods — 12 September 2011 @ 5:58 pm
Do you get the “Do they really…” questions as much as the “Did you know…” ones? I confess, I ask the first batch all the time.
Clark — 16 September 2011 @ 9:19 pm
Yeah, I get a lot of “Do they really…” questions, too, but that’s more curiosity.
Kevin — 17 February 2012 @ 3:59 am
The “j = zh” is probably because that’s how it’s pronounced in French. So Chinese should be the same – they’re both foreign after all.
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