Corrections of zone.tab for CN entries

Brian Garrett mgy1912 at home.com
Mon Sep 24 18:57:18 UTC 2001


----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Eggert <eggert at twinsun.com>
To: <yaoz at vidar.niaaa.nih.gov>
Cc: <tz at elsie.nci.nih.gov>
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2001 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: Corrections of zone.tab for CN entries


> > Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 00:25:08 -0400 (EDT)
> > From: <yaoz at vidar.niaaa.nih.gov>
> >
> > 1. City names are in old form.  Now there is a standard way (pinyin)
> > to write it and it should be used;
>
> The tz database uses the most common spelling in ordinary English.
> For example, it uses "Rome", even though "Roma" is the correct Italian
> name.  When I first added those entries, the pinyin method was not the
> most common spelling in English, and my impression is that "Chungking"
> and "Kashgar" are still quite commonly used in English, so it's not
> entirely clear to me that the time is right to switch to pinyin.
> (If I'm incorrect about this, please let me know.)
>

My understanding was that the pinyin system is favored in the People's
Republic of China, and that either the pinyin or the older system
(Wade-Giles?) is acceptable in Taiwan.  I have heard, although I cannot
confirm, that the postal system in the PRC will not even deliver mail if the
addresses are written in Wade-Giles.

The major English-language news services switched to pinyin in the early
1980's.  It would appear that (for mainland China tz issues, at least) the
time is definitely right to switch to pinyin.


Brian Garrett




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