![\"road](\"https:\/\/pinyin.info\/news\/news_photos\/2006\/12\/shanxi_shaanxi_road_sign.jpg\")
\nA sign in Tianjin, China, points toward two roads, which, although they have different names, are both labeled “SHANXI LU”.<\/p>\n
\nA sign in Tianjin, China, points toward two roads, which, although they have different names, are both labeled “SHANXI LU”.<\/p>\n
The two roads are named after adjacent Chinese provinces: Shānxī<\/span> (山西), whose largest city is Taiyuan, and Shǎnxī<\/span> ( 陝西 \/ 陕西), which contains Xi’an. So “Shanxi” would appear to be appropriate for both if tone marks are omitted, which is, obviously, sometimes definitely a bad idea<\/a>.<\/p>\n But because these names are both often used and leaving off the tone mark in their romanized forms could lead to confusion, the PRC authorities long ago decided to alter the romanization of Shǎnxī<\/span> by borrowing a trick from Y.R. Chao’s tonal spelling system<\/a>; in this exceptional case, a doubled a<\/em> is used to represent the third-tone a<\/em> in Shǎnxī<\/span>, rendering the province’s name as “Shaanxi”. (This is not intended to change the pronunciation in the slightest, which is still Shǎnxī<\/span> in modern standard Mandarin. Pronouncing “Shaanxi” with a drawn-out a<\/em> — Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanxi — is incorrect.)<\/p>\n In Gwoyeu Romatzyh, a first-tone a<\/em> is spelled simply a<\/em>, so “Shanxi” could be said to use this as well. And in the old postal system romanizations that predated Hanyu Pinyin for the names, the provinces were “Shensi” and “Shansi”.<\/p>\n So the signs in the photo should<\/em> read “SHANXI LU” for 山西路 (Shānxī Lù<\/span>) and “SHAANXI LU” for 陕西路 (Shǎnxī Lù<\/span>). The local authorities, however, say they can’t do anything to change this:<\/p>\n Tiānjīn Shì Dìmíng Bàngōngshì de gōngzuò rényuán biǎoshì, ànzhào “Tiānjīn Shì dìmíng guǎnlǐ tiáolì” de guīdìng, dìmíng de Hànyǔ Pīnyīn Fāng’àn yào yǐ Hànyǔ Pīnyīn hé pīnxiě guīzé wéi biāozhǔn, bùdé shǐyòng wàiwén pīnxiě. Tóngyàng, Tiānjīn Shì yǔyán wénzì péixùn cèshì zhōngxīn de gōngzuò rényuán yě biǎoshì, xiàng Shānxī Lù hé Shǎnxī Lù de Hànyǔ Pīnyīn pīnxiě fāngshì quèshí wúfǎ gēnggǎi.<\/span><\/p>\n (天津市地名办的工作人员表示，按照《天津市地名管理条例》的规定，地名的汉语拼音方案要以汉语拼音和拼写规则为标准，不得使用外文拼写。同样，天津市语言文字培训测试中心的工作人员也表示，像山西路和陕西路的汉语拼音拼写方式确实无法更改。)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This is absurd. “Shaanxi” is not a “foreign-language spelling” (wàiwén pīnxiě<\/span>). The name is in Mandarin, China’s official language, and Shaanxi is China’s own spelling<\/em> for this, as should be no mystery to anyone who has access to a map of China published in the last few decades. Also, Hanyu Pinyin’s rules — which are based on words, not syllables, and most definitely not on Chinese characters taken in isolation — take this exception into account. Using “Shaanxi” to refer to 陕西 Province is perfectly acceptable in Hanyu Pinyin.<\/p>\n source: ‘SHANXI LU’: Nín cāi shì nǎ tiáo lù?<\/span><\/a> (SHANXI LU 您猜是哪条路?), Měirì xīn bào<\/span> (每日新报), December 29, 2006<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A sign in Tianjin, China, points toward two roads, which, although they have different names, are both labeled “SHANXI LU”. The two roads are named after adjacent Chinese provinces: Shānxī (山西), whose largest city is Taiyuan, and Shǎnxī ( 陝西 … Continue reading \n
![\"map](\"https:\/\/pinyin.info\/news\/news_photos\/2006\/12\/shanxi_shaanxi_map.gif\")
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