Korean Job Discussion Forums

[endofthewor1d]

i've wondered this for years. i would think a 'c' or a 'k' would do the job well enough.

in the language of the people who live there, it's naturally spelled with a different alphabet and, for all i know, sounds entirely different.
example: 한국 = korea.

but i want to know why the first guy to write it in english decided to use a 'q'.
did he think a 'q' made it look more exotic?
were the 'c' and 'k' keys broken on his typewriter?
did the iraqi people insist on it for some reason?

please don't talk about the fucking war. this is in the 'off topic' forum for a reason.

[Natalia]

It also depends a lot on where you are from.

Americans pronounce it much more like a 'k' than other English speakers.....

[endofthewor1d]

[out of context]

It is a different sound from "k" in Arabic. It's a uvular stop, with a point of articulation further back in the mouth from "k", which is a velar stop. It doesn't exist in English, and from the standpoint of English phonology the "k" sound is regarded as close enough to get the job done, but I suppose this Romanization was done to be somewhat faithful to the sound difference in the original Arabic.

You can also see it in "Qatar", but in the case of Cairo, which is "al-Qahirah" in Arabic, the Romanization reflects only the realization in English phonology.

[Jeju Rocks]

Not mine.

[endofthewor1d]