Poagao sent me this photo of signs on Zhong’an Bridge, which joins Xindian and Zhonghe (both in Taipei County). (So the zhong is probably for Zhonghe; but I’m not sure what the an is meant to be short for.) The signs are a good illustration of the sloppy approach to romanization in Taiwan. Because this is a new bridge, these are definitely new signs and thus should be in Hanyu Pinyin, which is official not just in Taipei County but nationally.
As the table below shows, however, the only name that definitely isn’t written in MPS2 — the romanization system that predated Tongyong, which in Taiwan predated Hanyu Pinyin — is a typo. MPS2 hasn’t been official for the better part of a decade.
| on the sign | system | Hanyu Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Junghe | MPS2 | ZhÅnghé |
| Benchian | wrong in all systems | Bǎnqiáo |
| Jingping | (MPS2, Tongyong, Hanyu Pinyin) | JÇngpÃng |
| Shioulang | MPS2 | Xiùlǎng |
And there’s no excuse for making “Shioulang Bridge” so small and squashed. This also brings to mind another aspect of Hanyu Pinyin: because of its design and the fact that it uses abbreviated forms of some vowel combinations (e.g., uei -> ui, iou -> iu), it doesn’t need as much horizontal space as MPS2 or Tongyong Pinyin, which means it can be written with larger letters — an important factor in signage. (See the second table of the comparative typing chart to see such differences between Hanyu Pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin.)
| system | spelling |
|---|---|
| MPS2 | Shioulang |
| Tongyong Pinyin | Sioulang |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xiulang |
Poagao said
My guess is that the “an” is meant to stand for “Ankeng”.
Meow said
LOL Banqiao became Benchian! WTF is that?
dl7und said
Yeah, Benchian is a good one. If they have gone that far, why not go one step further and make it “Benchan”, thus significantly increasing that area’s popularity among younger Taiwanese: “Kawaiiiiiii…”
naruwan said
Could it be that someone spelled it “Benchiau” (for some reason) and the “u” was then accidentally placed upside-down?
Pinyin Info said
@naruwan: Interesting idea. MPS2 for Banqiao is “Banchiau”. So maybe.
jidanni said
> LOL Banqiao became Benchian! WTF is that?
本錢。æ¯äººä¸€å®šè¦çš„了 :-)
> it doesn’t need as much horizontal space as MPS2 or Tongyong Pinyin
Checkmate, oh Mr. Smart One: Junghe — Zhonghe
M said
how do we notify the relevant authorities?
GF said
The Benchian mistake shows that there isn’t a sloppy approach to romanization: there’s a bloody sloppy approach to sign-making!
Mading said
I agree. They just don’t care enough!
jidanni said
What’s up with Bing Maps,
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=24.12975788764882~120.69464457035065&lvl=16&sty=r
I see MPS2+BARF. 建æˆè·¯ even has Ch-.
jidanni said
And what spots my eye, but Hanyu Pinyin, “Min Quan”… of course amidst a melange of other pinyins,
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=24.13870688817488~120.68076145648956&lvl=16&sty=r
Not both maps are å°ä¸å¸‚。
jidanni said
> Not both maps are å°ä¸å¸‚。
Note both maps are å°ä¸å¸‚。
Taizhong / Taichung City.