Quick question. I've seen both shinbun and shimbun. Which is the correct way? I don't think it's a mistake, because I've read a book or two that sort of explains which one is correct. Sort of. Thanks.
2007-02-28 15:07:20 · 3 answers · asked by Need answers! 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
They're both correct. 'shimbun' more closely resembles the pronunciation (and is thus standard in many Japanese language textbooks), but some people criticize this spelling as 'anglo-centric' as the 'n' regularly assimilates to 'm' before 'b'. (In other words, the pronunciation is conditioned by the context; however you spell the word, it could not possibly pronounced any other way by a native Japanese as 'nb' is not allowed.) To give a parallel in American English, 't' between two vowels sounds like 'd' (e.g., latter = ladder). Notice that we do not change the spelling, though:-)
Incidentally, the 'shimbun' spelling comes from a system known as 'hebonshiki' (the Hepburn system), whereas 'shibun' comes from 'kunreishiki' (official instructional system).
2007-02-28 15:22:39 · answer #1 · answered by paladin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shinbun
2016-11-02 01:43:47 · answer #2 · answered by mcmilliam 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
both of them are correct if you were to pronounce*
any japanese can tell that you mean 'newspaper'.
but if you were gonna write it in romaji, go with 'shinbun' :-)
2007-02-28 18:13:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋