Q; pronouncing "Fukushima"

[Tom Zurinskas]

Thanks for the clip.  At 12 seconds in the clip (Japanese language) I hear ~Fookssheemaa  fook-SHE-mah (short "oo" as in hook).  I would take it that that is the proper way.  Why not say it as the natives say it.

Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, then Tenn 3, NJ 33, now FL 9.
The FREE English-based phonetic converters, URL and text , are at truespel.com

 
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> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject: Re: Q; pronouncing "Fukushima"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Here is a video clip with the Japanese news-lady saying "Fukushima
> Dai-ichi" ("Fukushima #1", I guess) repeatedly (0:01, 0:14, 0:53).
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMEV-_X5b_8
> 
> I think this sounds pretty standard (but my acquaintance with Japanese
> is minimal). The first through third syllables are voiceless to my ear
> (more-or-less 'whispered', for us laymen).
> 
> To me through my Anglophone ear the stress is seemingly on the second
> syllable ("ku") but this may be imaginary.
> 
> I myself would say something like /fUkUSima/ with 2nd-syllable stress in
> English. Others would of course do otherwise.
> 
> -- Doug Wilson
> 
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