Matsuda

[Lisa Galvin]

High vowels such as /u/ and /i/ do get devoiced in Japanese in certain contexts (I forget the exact rule, but I know it would apply to the /u/ in "Matsuda") and sounds a lot like "Matsda". Given that, I don't think "Mazda" is such a far stretch.

Lisa Galvin







> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:49:16 -0500
> From: Berson at ATT.NET
> Subject: Re: Matsuda
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject: Re: Matsuda
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 2/26/2010 01:07 AM, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
> >n contrast, the Mazda name appears to be a novel alteration of the
> >founder's name Matsuda  $B>>ED (B, I suppose adapted for an eye-catching
> >exoticism. The frequent surname Matsuda (usually "ma tsu da") apparently
> >has some alternative pronunciations (e.g., "ma tsu ta") but Mazda (= "ma
> >zu da") doesn't seem to be one of them. In Japanese the company name is
> >written plain "ma tsu da" and at least sometimes so spoken [in (e.g.)
> >home-market Mazda TV ads (some can be seen on YouTube)]. I deny any
> >expertise.
>
> Is "Matsuda" ever elided to "mats-da"? That
> might have led someone choosing a name for international use to "mas-da".
>
> Joel
>
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