Toyoda/Toyota (was: a wee predating of hotdog - if true - to circa 1870 )

[victor steinbok]

Not sure if any of it is true, but this is circulating on "the series of tubes":

Why Toyota and not Toyoda?

==
According to a much-quoted article in Wikipedia, the spelling change
was made to make it easier to pronounce, symbolize a separation from
the founder’s home life, and, possibly most importantly, because
Toyota, which takes eight strokes to write in Japanese, is considered
to be luckier than Toyoda.
==

This is not *exactly* what Wiki says today, but it's close. In fact,
the difference in brush strokes is very subtle (relying on Wiki)--just
two ticks on the right that are in the family name, but not in the
company name. So it is indeed simplified. As for the subjective
reasons for the change, take it or leave it.

There are some conflicting reports as to who made the decision and the
precise family relationship. Some sites suggest that it was Kiichiro,
the son of inventor Sakichi Toyoda, who came up with the name or made
the decision to change it. Other sites claim that it was Risaburo
Toyoda--reported either as a brother-in-law or as an adopted brother
to Kiichiro--who was behind the change because he had no formal
allegiance to the family name. At this point, all that we need to know
is that the decision was made before the auto division was spun off
from the family company as Toyota Motor Company.

This took less then 10 minutes of Googling, including confirmation of
most details from multiple sites. Please note that I am not claiming
knowledge--for all I know, I am just repeating a popular urban legend.

VS-)

On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 12:03 PM, Lisa Galvin <lisagal23 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> The Japanese character representing the last syllable of the name can have =
> either pronunciation: "ta" or "da"=2C in Japanese. Why one pronunciation wa=
> s chosen over the other for the name vs. the company=2C I'm not sure.
>
>                                                  =20
>
> Lisa
>
> =20
>
>> Date: Thu=2C 25 Feb 2010 11:01:17 -0500
>> From: JMB at STRADLEY.COM
>> Subject: Re: a wee predating of hotdog - if true - to circa 1870 (UNCLASS=
> IFIED)
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>=20
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------=
> ------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster: "Baker=2C John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
>> Subject: Re: a wee predating of hotdog - if true - to circa 1870
>> (UNCLASSIFIED)
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>>=20
>> Note that the linked video alleges the preservation of a hot dog
>> from 1870=2C not that the term was used then.
>>=20
>> "Toyoda" is the normal spelling of the surname of Akio Toyoda=2C
>> the CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. I'm not sure why the spellings of
>> the corporate name and the family name diverge.
>>=20
>>=20
>> John Baker
>>=20
>>=20
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
>> Of Mullins=2C Bill AMRDEC
>> Sent: Thursday=2C February 25=2C 2010 10:51 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: a wee predating of hotdog - if true - to circa 1870
>> (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>=20
>> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
>> Caveats: NONE
>>=20
>> The linked video is immediately followed by one entitled "Japan reacts
>> to Toyoda hearings" -- never seen it spelled that way before.
>>=20
>> The hot dog video should have been released on 1 April.
>>=20
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
>> > Behalf Of David A. Daniel
>> > Sent: Thursday=2C February 25=2C 2010 9:45 AM
>> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> > Subject: a wee predating of hotdog - if true - to circa 1870
>> >
>> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> ---------------
>> > --------
>> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > Poster: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
>> > Subject: a wee predating of hotdog - if true - to circa 1870
>> >
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > --------
>> >
>> > Get em red hot=2C right here:
>> >
>> >
>> http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/02/25/reid.old.hotdog.news12?h
>> > pt=3DC2
>> >
>>=20
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>                                          =
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
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