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  • It's Bei-jing, isn't it?

    Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 9:00PM / Standard Entry / china / Members only
    17 comments


    With the Olympics just around the corner, I'm observing more Western reports on all media fronts about the activities in and around Beijing.

    One thing that's always bothered me in a small way is the way in which Westerners pronounce "Beijing."

    Phonetically, it's bay-jing. Hard J.

    In pinyin, it's bei jing or bei zhing (sorry, don't know how to insert tone marks). Still the hard J.

    Yet I often hear it pronounced 'bay-jjjjing' with the soft J, like in 'bonjour.'

    Are they trying to make it sound more exotic? Cos I think it sounds kinda stoopid.

    My opinion....

    #

Entry comments (17)

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  • HuisyG
    HuisyG 
    posted on Saturday, Jul 26, 2008 3:43PM [Report]
    I totally agree with you Peachey...
    It really ticks me off when I hear the Aussies here mispronouncing Beijing...
  • Katie_x
    Katie_x 
    posted on Friday, Jul 25, 2008 6:25AM [Report]
    After you just mentioned it I just realised they're bloody making me pronounce it wrong when I say it in English!! Thanks for reminding me..... Ggggrrr...
  • JoanneSanderson
    JoanneSanderson 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 5:54PM [Report]
    Yep, english do it to Beijing to, and it's a hard habit to correct when you've been listening to it for so long :(
  • snowsnow
    snowsnow 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 1:57PM [Report]
    yeah,it's bei-jing.but seems there isn't "j"pronunciation in english,so,some of foreigners couldn't pronounce "bei-jing"exactly^_*
  • peachey
    peachey 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 9:59AM
    Seh-shu-wan!!!! Yes! haha.
    That's how I used to pronounce it before I knew better. keke
  • acid_jacque
    acid_jacque 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 9:21AM [Report]
    different accent speaks a little different. the koreans here says "Heli-cock-ter" when they refer to Headquarter .. (no offenses) it makes us giggle
  • ahleong
    ahleong 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 6:53AM [Report]
    i 've heard ten different versions from my european colleagues and im starting to doubt my pronunciation now....
  • Jaine
    Jaine 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 6:35AM [Report]
    hm, I never thought about it - either way now I know for sure
  • tinlunlau
    tinlunlau 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 6:32AM [Report]
    Here's what annoys me the most.

    "se-shu-ahn" (Szechuan)
  • Yes_Tom
    Yes_Tom 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 5:53AM [Report]
    Obviously that's the French word for Beijing. =P
  • Happybunny
    Happybunny 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 5:13AM [Report]
    I don't seem to notice this problem. I'm sure my colleagues pronounce Beijing with the hard J. Hmmm I'll test on them again tmrw!
  • peachey
    peachey 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 3:18AM
    News readers are the nation's linguistic teachers. Wonderful... "Beijing" is hopeless now as it's already been mispronounced for years.
  • xibanyae
    xibanyae 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 2:03AM [Report]
    u are too picky me thinks! at least is better than saying PICKING  for peking! ;)
    can i have a picking duck!?
    what they need to stop saying is "communist china" for china!
  • bao3
    bao3 
    posted on Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 1:58AM [Report]
    yeah, i notice this too.  i don't get it either.  nothing in the english language has a "j" that is pronounced as a "zsh" type of sound.  whitey sometimes don't make sense...hehe..
  • janechu
    janechu 
    posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 11:52PM [Report]
    hmm... I didn't pay much attention to that but I wouldn't have guessed that pronouncing Beijing would have been a problem... *eek*
  • Flagday
    Flagday 
    posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 10:49PM [Report]
    But in fairness, Bei-zhing doesn't have far to go to morph into a totally soft j.  The correct pronunciation is "j" as in jingle. But more often than not it's not done that way.  Maybe newscasters have a common pronunciation guide they all use.  They really are held up as the standard pronunciation authorities for us common people.
  • AsianChick100
    AsianChick100 
    posted on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 9:24PM [Report]
    yeah, i know what you're trying to say. they need some pin yin lessons. ;)

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