Thread: My family name

Well, it is kinda, isn't it?

That was sort of my point.


How can I make this damned machine express irony?

In fact, it was because of your smiley I guessed that you weren't being sarcastic at all, but that you were smiling because you found it amusing that I thought such a farfetched thing obvious. Which you didn't of course, and as you actually meant what you said in the first sentence, you was being in a way doubly sarcastic...

When people meet me in person, they tell me I have an ambivalent air. Same goes for my computer manner, clearly. I should have said , rather than , shouldn't I?


I have a lot to learn. Perhaps I should just lay off the little yellow chaps for a while.

Originally Posted by Propp

"King" in Chenese will be Wang, not Wong.

'King' in Chinese is Wong or Wang depending on how you are transliterating it. Although there are fixed systems for transliteration, most Chinese immigrants didn't know the systems and ended up writing whichever sounded right to them: Wong, Wang. This is also why you have Changs and Chengs, Chans and Chens. You know Chinese too, Propp?

Originally Posted by Pravit

Originally Posted by Propp

"King" in Chenese will be Wang, not Wong.

'King' in Chinese is Wong or Wang depending on how you are transliterating it. Although there are fixed systems for transliteration, most Chinese immigrants didn't know the systems and ended up writing whichever sounded right to them: Wong, Wang. This is also why you have Changs and Chengs, Chans and Chens. You know Chinese too, Propp?

I'm trying to study it, but I haven't got much incentive. Anyway, there are no official systems were Wang would be Wong. Only among the illiterate Chinese immigrants may be.

Illiterate Chinese immigrants may also constitute my ancestors who have transliterated their name as "Wong" although they are now rich businessmen in Bangkok. There are many dialects of Chinese where it indeed sounds more like Wong. For example, most of the Chinese immigrants to Thailand speak what is called Dtha-Jiu dialect. I don't even know how to transliterate it myself, but they assure me it is pronounced more like "Wong" in this dialect.

Propp, you should learn Chinese(Mandarin, I presume?) Really it will be very good. You and I will travel to Nanking together. Yes? And you will be able to offer English-Russian-Chinese translating services, think of the opportunity! Such a trip is good example of "русское зарубежье." We can write a joint manuscript of our amazing adventure in China.

I imagine the tone system must be hard for you! Are you learning the characters too? You know, I have a very excellent book which teaches the meaning of each of the root radicals and how they are combined into a whole to form characters...

The tone system is not hard, although I didn't try to comunicate with a real Chinese. I think I should try to though... there are many of them at markets here. Any good book should teach the meaning of a radicals.

BTW, We may try to find another Smiths in different languages. Take for example Polish "kowal" (and may be western Ukranian and Belorussian too). Hence we have Ковальский, Ковалёв, Ковальчук etc.