How to pronounce Chinese skaters' names

[canbelto]

Hi everyone, my sister made this video of how to pronounce Chinese skater names:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN7suFIm8PE

 

[jao86]

Thanks for sharing! Super helpful!

 

[trouble77]

Nice video....why didn't she add the tones? I am learning Chinese and I think the tones can help a lot.

 

[Karen-W]

Hi everyone, my sister made this video of how to pronounce Chinese skater names:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN7suFIm8PE

Fabulous! Maybe we need to send that to NBC too so they start pronouncing Alysa's last name correctly!

 

[canbelto]

Fabulous! Maybe we need to send that to NBC too so they start pronouncing Alysa's last name correctly!

Actually my sister says if anyone knows the commentators to send them the videos. She gets upset when sportscasters murder Chinese names.

 

[maatTheViking]

that's so very helpful!

(now I need one for.. just about every other language, but especially Japanese, Korean and Russian skaters. Maybe I should upload a video on how to pronounce Nikolaj Sorensen, but maybe he now prefers it in a French Canadian accent )

 

[livetoskate]

Actually my sister says if anyone knows the commentators to send them the videos. She gets upset when sportscasters murder Chinese names.

On the other hand, many Chinese Americans don't even pronounce their last names the correct way, instead defaulting to whatever the average American would pronounce the name to make it easier on everyone. E.g. Chen should really be pronounced like "Chun."

 

[Karen-W]

On the other hand, many Chinese Americans don't even pronounce their last names the correct way, instead defaulting to whatever the average American would pronounce the name to make it easier on everyone. E.g. Chen should really be pronounced like "Chun."

Alysa does pronounce it the way @canbelto's sister says it on the video. She and Audrey Shin did an IG live last month and they were talking about how announcers/people often mispronounce their names - at one point Alysa very clearly enunciated how her last name is pronounced.

 

[sheetz]

On the other hand, many Chinese Americans don't even pronounce their last names the correct way, instead defaulting to whatever the average American would pronounce the name to make it easier on everyone. E.g. Chen should really be pronounced like "Chun."

I don't think I've ever heard Chinese Americans pronounce their family names as they would in their native tongue (including correct intonation). The only time they use native pronunciation is when they are actually speaking in that language, in which case someone like Nathan would use his Chinese name, Chen Wei.

 

[skatingguy]

There are definitely some sounds in those names that I will never get right.

 

[briancoogaert]

Very interesting ! Thanks for sharing !