Date:    Wed, 13 May 1998 10:30:28 EDT
<br>From:    RonButters <RonButters[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>
<br>Subject: Re: Beijing /j/
<br>
<br>In a message dated 5/13/98 8:26:51 AM, spaauw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RAD.NET.ID wrote:
<br>
<br><<For some reason the fricative "zh" is used in place of the correct
<br>affricate "dj" in a number of Asian words/place names: besides
<br>"Beizhing," I have often come across "mah zhong" and "Tazh Mahal."  I
<br>agree with those who have said this satisfies our need for foreign words
<br>to "sound foreign.">>
<br>
<br>I agree. But I'd like to add that (zh) is a rather marginal phoneme in
<br>English, having virtually merged for many speakers with (dzh)--and pronounced
<br>invariably (dzh). This adds to the sense of foreignness of (zh). I pronounce
<br><garage> with (zh) not (dzh), but I had to learn to do so in college. All my
<br>brothers and their wives say (garadzh).
<br>