What is the correct pronunciation of:
-
“Mikado”
-
“Decapod”
?
I may die someday and I’d like to know first.
Mikado: “Mike-ah-doe”
Decapod: “Deck-ah-pod”
Everyone I know pronounces it Mic-ah-doe.
mi (i as in pit) KA (a as in father) do (o as in toe).
On the Southern, 2-8-2s were pronounced:
Fawty-five honnids
Fawty-six honnids
Fawty-seven honnids
Fawty-eight honnids
And so on . . .
Ol’ Ed
I’ve heard it pronounced Mi-Kah-Doe, instead Mike-Ah-Doe.
Dave H.
mik AH doe DECK a pod. The accent makes a difference. I once heard somebody pronounce it MIK ah doe, in spite of the (I thought) well known Gilbert and Sulivan opereta.
2-8-2: Mike
2-10-0: Deck
2-8-2 “mike”
2-10-0 “russian”
OK, how 'bout the 2-6-0?
Mo-Gul?
tomato, tomato? I’ve always heard it pronounced more like durg “mic” as in MC-ah-doe. The nikename usely being Mike, but I’ve heard people call them mic’s. I’ve also heard often me-kah-doe. But I sure mik(e)-ah-doe is the proper way.
And Moguls are, I think, is magyule. As is ma(your ma is callin you home)g-yule. Thought most peolpe pronounce as mogols, like a media mogol.
2-8-2’s were “Mikes” for short, but Mikado is pronounced “mick-KAH-doe”. It’s the title of the Emperor of Japan, supposedly the first US built 2-8-2’s were built for export to Asia. During WW2 they were called “Macs” for “MacArthurs” BTW.
2-10-0’s are “DECK-a-pods”, “Dec” meaning 10 in Latin, like decimal system or December…well OK, December is now the 12th month, but in Roman times, it was the 10th. (Sept=7, Octo=8, Novum=9, Decem=10.)
I’ve always heard it as MA-KAAD-O It is correct that the Mikado was a title affixed to the Emperor of Japan
Yes, that’s right, Mikado was the title used by the Emperor of Japan.
2-10-0’s customarily had a reputation for being rough riding, so most of the names used for them by engine crews are probably unprintable[:D]
To avoid ambiguity when discussing these locomotives with someone that has some knowledge of what a Steam Locomotive is you can use the following pronunciations:
-
Mikado is pronounced : “Two-Eight-Two”.
-
Decapod is pronounced : “Two-Ten-Oh”.
Alternatively, when describing them to the general public, both can be pronounced :
“Chu-Choo”.
These methods save lots of extraneous explanations!
For the linguistically challenged who have problems pronouncing tsu (as in Tsushima Strait), the word Mikado has three syllables, each represented (in katakana or hiragana) by a single symbol.
The accepted (by Japanese and Japanophones) pronunciations:
- Mi - me, that guy that hangs out with Myself and I.
- Ka - kah, proper Bostonian for automobile.
- Do - doe, “a deer, a female deer…”
The ungarbled, Imperially sealed word. Accept no substitutes.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with D50 and D51 class 2-8-2s)
It’s “ME, an,name, I call myself, LA, a long, long way to run” (I’m SOOO embaressed
], No, I’m not one of those, I just had 2 older sister’s and no brothers in band, and they played ALL those musicals CONSTANLY! Anyone know South Pacific? How about Oklahoma? Seven brides for Seven brothers? I’m Don Queont e hote, the Lord of Lamancha, My estiny calls and I go Please, anyone sympathize?[V])Release me from this musical H…L! You know what, I believe you. I’ve read youre thread responsise on Japanese RW’s. tsu- isnt that like a cross between “SOO” line and “ZOO”? I always pronounces it "ZOO(as in zoot suit)shima. But then it also say SOOgahme. Is that wrong?
I know he’s looking for the proper way, and i think you got it, but American accent belittles it, I think. To me , it’ll always be McCAdo, with a Scot-Irish slang. Sorry![X-)][V]
Any particular syllable for the accent?
Any syllable held for a longer/shorter count?
MEEE-kahdoe
MEkahhh-doe
meee-KAHdoe
meKAHHH-doe
etc.
??
The last is close, but no cigar. meKAH-doe hits it - the accent is on the ka, but is very slight. None of the vowels are held.
Incidentally, the city name Hiroshima is properly pronounced He-row-SHE-ma. The usual mispronunciation, he-ROH-shi-ma, raises hackles in western Honshu. (The latter is Tokyo dialect, which the folks away from the Kanto Plain think of as the Japanese equivalent of Brooklynese.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)