Broadcasters’ Mispronunciation of Nagano
I enjoyed “Pronunciation Irks Angelenos Named Nagano” (Feb. 12). I received a number of inquiries about my name saying, “Have I been mispronouncing your name for 40 years?” Our relatives and Caucasian friends are calling, kiddingly, and saying, “Hi, Nag-a-no!” Until this winter Olympics, I never heard my name pronounced this way. The European competitors pronounce it correctly.
In 1946, I lived in Japan for nearly one year, serving in the Army as an interpreter in Tokyo. I found and met my relatives from Kochi, Nagoya, Tokyo and Sapporo but I never heard it pronounced as on television. But unfortunately, I never visited Nagano City to hear how those citizens say it. Perhaps there are two ways to pronounce the name.
JOE NAGANO
Los Angeles
* Thank you for the article. Newscasters’ inability to correctly pronounce words has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time. As a Japanese American, the conversion of “hir-roe-SHEE-ma” to the Americanized “hir-ROE-shi-ma” has been particularly galling. Even people who used to pronounce the name of this city correctly are following the lead of our illiterate news anchors and now saying it wrong.
By the way, as anyone in the data processing industry (or any “Star Trek” fan) can tell you, the word “data” is pronounced “DAT-a.” And if “harass” was supposed to be pronounced the same way as “Harris,” it would have been spelled that way.
JEFF OGAWA
Anaheim
* NAHgano, SCHMAgano, get a life.
This whole brouhaha over mispronouncing Nagano is downright silly and easily qualifies as the nonevent of the 1998 Olympics.
As a Japanese American, having one’s name mispronounced goes with the territory. Personally, I am pleased to see that our ancestral homeland is getting some favorable media coverage for a change, if only for a short few weeks.
For those who are seriously bothered by such trivial matters, I would commend for their perusal, Richard Carlson’s “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (And It’s All Small Stuff).” In fact, this book should be in everyone’s library.
GEORGE KODAMA
Marina del Rey
