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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 19TH MAY, 1888.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 214.
The following Circular Despatch and its enclosure are published for general information.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 19th May, 1888.
CIRCULAR.
FREDERICK STEWART, Colonial Secretary.
DOWNING STREET,
27th March, 1888.
SIR, I have the honour to transmit to you the accompanying copies of a Memorandum setting forth a system of orthography for Native Names of Places, which I request you will cause to be adopted in the Colony under your Government.
Full instructions for the application of the system are contained in the Memorandum.
I have the honour to be,
The Officer administering the Government of
HONGKONG.
Sir,
Your most obedient humble Servant,
KNUTSFORD.
Cuve ou
The following SYSTEM OF ÖRTOGRAPHY FOR NATIVE NAMES OF PLACES, adopted by the Council of the Royal Geographical Society, approved by the Foreign and Colonial Offices, and used on the Admiralty Charts, is to be adhered to in future in all Intelligence Department Publications.
1. No change will be made in the orthography of foreign names in countries which use Roman letters thus Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, &c., names will be spelt as by the respective nations,
2. Neither will any change be made in the spelling of such names in languages which are not written in Roman character as have become by long usage familiar to English readers: thus Calcutta, Cutch, Celebes, Mecca, &c., will be retained in their present form.
3. The true sound of the word as locally pronounced will be taken as the basis of the spelling. 4. An approximation, however, to the sound is alone aimed at. A system which would attempt to represent the more delicate inflections of sound and accent would be so complicated as only to defeat itself. Those who desire a more accurate pronunciation of the written name must learn it on the spot. by a study of local accent and peculiarities.
5. The broad features of the system are that vowels are pronounced as in Italian and consonants as in English.
6. One accent only is used, the acute, to denote the syllable on which stress is laid. This is very
for important, as the sounds of many names are entirely altered by the misplacement of this "stress.”
7. Every letter is pronounced. When two vowels come together, each one is sounded, though the result, when spoken quickly, is sometimes scarcely to be distinguished from a single sound, as in ai, au, ei.
8. Doubling of a vowel is only necessary where there is a distinct repetition of the single sound; thus Nuulúa. Oosima.
9. All vowels are shortened in sound by doubling the following consonant, as in Yarra, Tanna, Mecca, Jidda, Bonny.
10. Iħdian names are accepted as spelt in Hunter's Gazetteer.