Quote from Heatherlly on March 13, 2024, 9:11 pm

Quote from cometis on March 13, 2024, 5:44 am

'Cho Chang' Her name is problematic because it has a derogatory Chinese pronunciation, 'Ching Chang Chong', but the name has another problem.

蝶 < Cho This is the Chinese character for her name, but it is read as 'dié' in real Chinese. The meaning of 蝶 is ‘butterfly’, so it is a name with a pretty meaning, but it is a big problem that she, who is of Chinese descent, has a ‘Japanese-style kanji-pronounced name’.

In other countries, an Italian may have a German name or an English person may have a French name. In Harry Potter, a British person can have an ancient Greek or Roman name. In foreign countries, the barrier to names will be low.

However, the Chinese character cultures of Korea, Japan, and China are different. You can use the same Chinese character name, but the ‘reading and pronunciation’ are completely different. The analogy and actual pronunciation of the name Michael are incredibly different compared to Archangel Michael/Michaël or the name Miguel in Spain. In particular, there is absolutely no reason for Chinese people to use Japanese-style kanji pronunciation. Because the country where Chinese characters originate is China.

Additionally, China and Korea were ravaged by Japan in the 20th century. So, when 'Cho' name came up, there were more than one problem. When it comes to names, the natural thing to do is to use a different country's pronunciation. but In some places, it may not be natural or acceptable.

JK Rowling said that collecting strange names was her hobby, and she applied the culture of using strange names to her worldview, but I think it's a shame that she didn't think much about what names mean in other countries.

 

Thank you for explaining this. It's a different, more thoughtful take, one that does help me understand the issue a bit better. The main issue I have is when people suggest that she did this intentionally or maliciously rather than giving her the benefit of the doubt. There's far too much of that in today's world, and I just don't see how it's helpful or productive. That's especially true when we're talking about books that were written 20 years ago… right or wrong, most authors didn't research or even consider things like this back then.

Having said that, JKR does show a lack of understanding for other regions and cultures, something that has also proven true in more recent times. For example, her creation of Ilvermorny, a distinctly British boarding school complete with separate houses and other British customs. She didn't seem to consider the differences between our regions and cultures, something that as an American, I find frustrating. I mean, all else aside, the fact that she didn't even take geography into account was absurd. Seriously, one school for the whole of North America? I live in a state that's bigger than the entire country of England (Florida), and I believe that @thegestaltprince's state is bigger than England and Scotland combined. There are 48 other states, not to mention Canada and Mexico.

I remember her doing something similar with Asia, which of course, is even bigger. One school for the entire continent, one that includes billions of people and dozens of countries, many of which wouldn't even be culturally or linguistically compatible. I know she attempted to make up for that, but still… she should have learned from her earlier mistakes and done more research, or (my personal preference) invited other, more qualified authors to represent those regions within the HP universe.

I have a whole rant about this elsewhere on the forum, but I digress. Point is, I understand where you're coming from. I don't blame her for her blind spots (especially earlier ones), though there's no denying that she had (and still has) them.