Would people please stop writing Lien Chan as “Lian Zhan.”
Thank you.
That’s how we spell it in our news copy. It stops the other news readers from voicing it over the air to sound like Charlie Chan. I didn’t mean to upset anyone by using the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the man’s name.
What is used for spoken purposes is immaterial. Chen Shuway-bien, if you like, but no one is reading out Forumosa posts on the air.
It is interesting that people are so sloppy about this when so many of the same people will fight tooth and nail over which Romanization system ought to be used.
I just like to stickk to the conventions that are established either in the Who’s Who in the Republic of China, or by the person him or herself.
By the way, are you saying that your newsreaders are so unfamiliar with Taiwan that they need a pronouncer to get Lien’s name right? I don’t think so. All you guys speak Chinese like demons.
[quote]Would people please stop writing Lien Chan as “Lian Zhan.”
Thank you.[/quote]
Why, it’s his name (rendered in hanyu Pinyin)
Brian
OK, I don’t care. Put in tone marks for all I care. I give up. Use broadcast English for all I care.
Just the national news guys speak and read Chinese. Certainly Lien’s name is familiar enough, but you get into a rhythm and since the copy is for broadcast, it’s nice not to have to stop and wonder whether Ma Ying-jeou is the correct bastardization of one romanization method or another. To me, he’s Ma Ying-jiu … but from now on he’s Ma Ying-jeou (I think) on Forumosa. 
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]
Would people please stop writing Lien Chan as “Lian Zhan.”
Thank you.[/quote]
Sorry Wolf, no can do. I spell all names according to orthodoxy/internationally-accepted practice. Li Denghui, Mao Zedong, Ma Yingjiu, Lian Zhan, Chen Shuibian, etc.
That would make sense if we were transliterating his Chinese name. But why are you transliterating his Chinese name when he already has an English name, Lien Chan?
If you wanted to verify his PhD from the University of Chicago, which name are you going to look up? If you’re going to investigate how much property he owns in California, which name are you going to look up?
The purpose of language is to communicate, not to confuse. Do you seriously believe people are more likely to know who you’re talking about if you write “Lien Zhan”?
Which orthodoxy would that be? Internationally accepted by whom?
I have never seen it spelled Lian Zhan in any news article. Have you?
Apparently your spelling isn’t even “internationally accepted” by the inventors of Hanyu Pingyin:
I think that the presidents name should be spelled Jun-Sway-Bien
That would make sense if we were transliterating his Chinese name. But why are you transliterating his Chinese name when he already has an English name, Lien Chan?[/quote]
I know you’re just repeating popular usage, but it’s simply wrong. This is one of my pet peeves.
“Lien Chan” is not an English name. Lien Chan is what its bearer has adopted as the romanized form of his Mandarin name.
Using the letters of the Roman alphabet to represent a name does not make it English. “Lien Chan” is no more an “English name” than Jose Maria Aznar, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Jacques Brel, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Mao Zedong, Carlos Fuentes, etc. etc. ad infinitum.
Can native English speakers read all the books published in France, Germany, Spain, Vietnam, Italy, Turkey? It would certainly be news to people in those places that they all write in “English” because they use the roman alphabet.
[quote=“SCL”]Apparently your spelling isn’t even “internationally accepted” by the inventors of Hanyu Pingyin:
Perhaps I misunderstood you, but just in case, the KMT and PFP are not the inventors of Hanyu Pinyin.
Personally, I write their names in hanyu pinyin. It is readable by almost anyone who’s studied Chinese (even most who have studied in Taiwan).
Besides, I forget the stupid ways they write or change their names, I could never remember how to spell them all. Ma Yin-Jeou? Ma Yingjiou? Ma… Is that Chan? Zhan? Chen? Lian? Lien? At least if I write the hanyu, its a standard transliteration, and its consistent for me, and anyone else who knows it.
Then for consistency sake I hope you’re peeved as well about Hong Kong, Tokyo (which should be Tookyoo or Tōkyō), Confucius and Koxinga.
[quote]“Lien Chan” is not an English name. Lien Chan is what its bearer has adopted as the romanized form of his Mandarin name.
Using the letters of the Roman alphabet to represent a name does not make it English. “Lien Chan” is no more an “English name” than Jose Maria Aznar, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Jacques Brel, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Mao Zedong, Carlos Fuentes, etc. etc. ad infinitum. [/quote]
That’s ridiculous. So all the kids named Jose Rodriguez or Antonio Lopez in US schools don’t have English names, only Spnish ones?
When Lien Chan adopted a name to be used in an English language setting (e.g., studying at the University of Chicago), then he has picked an English name for himself, no different than Soong picking James and Lu picking Annette.
Yes, you did. I was referring to Xinhua News Agency, PRC.
That’s ridiculous. So all the kids named Jose Rodriguez or Antonio Lopez in US schools don’t have English names, only Spanish ones?[/quote]
That’s exactly right. I have an English name, but a Dutch surname. Al Pacino has an Italian name. Ludwig von Beethoven has a German name.
Actually, it IS different, in that ROC citizens do not normally choose the romanization of their names - it is often done for them, sometimes by semi-educated travel agents. And Soong is an erroneous romanization as well - it should be Song.
Wouldn’t it be Sung?
Then for consistency sake I hope you’re peeved as well about Hong Kong, Tokyo (which should be Tookyoo or T?ky?), Confucius and Koxinga.[/quote]
I’m not talking here about Anglicizations. I’m talking about a name, Lien Chan, that has no Anglicized form. It simply is.
[quote][quote]“Lien Chan” is not an English name. Lien Chan is what its bearer has adopted as the romanized form of his Mandarin name.
Using the letters of the Roman alphabet to represent a name does not make it English. “Lien Chan” is no more an “English name” than Jose Maria Aznar, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Jacques Brel, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Mao Zedong, Carlos Fuentes, etc. etc. ad infinitum. [/quote]
That’s ridiculous. So all the kids named Jose Rodriguez or Antonio Lopez in US schools don’t have English names, only Spnish ones?
When Lien Chan adopted a name to be used in an English language setting (e.g., studying at the University of Chicago), then he has picked an English name for himself, no different than Soong picking James and Lu picking Annette.[/quote]
“Lien Chan” is simply his name. Period. L-I-E-N C-H-A-N is simply one way of writing the name; there is no translation into English going on. It is not English.
What exactly is it about “Lien Chan” that makes you assert that it is an “English” name? That it’s written in the Roman alphabet? That he likely used that spelling while in America? That he speaks English? None of that makes any difference.
To take your example of “Jose Rodriguez.” Let’s say that there are a number of people around the world with that name. One child named Jose Rodriguez goes to school in France. He is known there as “Jose Rodriguez.” Does he have a “French” name? Another child named Jose Rodriguez goes to school in Japan, where he is known as “Jose Rodriguez.” Does this second child have a different name from the youngster in France? Clearly not.
Are we talking about etymology now? Wait – is “etymology” an English word, or a Greek word?
As opposed to your name… which you chose yourself? My – you must’ve been an exceptionally precocious child. :s
Anyway – I’m getting tired of vollying for points. I’ll just say believe the function of language is to communicate, not to uphold a dubious principle of consistency, hence I favor the internationally accepted (cough cough) written form.
Well, on that last point at least we can agree. 
There’s a New York Times reporter whose name is “Jennifer 8. Lee” – with a period after the eight. She is Chinese-American, born in USA, parents from mainland. With a numeral in her official name (you can find her on any google search), is this her English name or her Numerical name?