送交者: Erxin 于 2006-2-09, 11:54:24:
回答: TO B OR NOT TO B. 也说两句关于名称翻译 由 outsider 于 2006-2-09, 11:07:47:
Pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is not really for English, but for Han language putonghua, based on Beijing dialect. In my point of view, it is an excellent, consistent phonetic system for modern, standard putonghua. Since there are sounds such as ji, qi, xi, and zhi, chi, shi, which one can not find the same components in popular western languages, they were invented uniquely to denote those shounds. The fact that English speaking people cannot pronounce Q correctly should not be used against the use of Q in the Chinese phonetic system.
Again, as I pointed out earlier on, the debate was on the spelling of the name of Beijing by the standard set by the state, not the English translation.