Forum - View topicHow should old kanji variants be handled?
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Kimiko_0
 Posts: 1796 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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Japanese names often use old kanji variants that have been simplified or replaced with other kanji with the same pronunciation in regular use. See Wikipedia: Kyūjitai and Jinmeiyō kanji. I'd guess that often electronic systems will not have the old forms available, and people are forced to spell their names with the modern alternative kanji. This leads to different places having different kanji spellings of the same name. Places such as credits in one anime vs. another anime, or online listings vs. in-episode credits.
I was wondering how to handle such spelling variants in the ANN encyclopedia after coming across two cases yesterday: Katsumi TAMEGAI: 爲我井 (classic) vs. 為我井 (modern), and Shōichirō SUGIURA: 杦浦 (classic) vs. 杉浦 (modern). There doesn't seem to be a proper field in the person record for alternative kanji, but it'd obviously help to have the encyclopedia forms automatically match both spellings to the right person. I've added error reports to both entries for now so that the info is there if needed. |
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hyojodoji
Posts: 586 |
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Just for your information. Actually, '杦' is a newer kanji which is derived from the cursive version of '杉'. So, if you care about which kanji is classical/older, '杉' is classical/older. Johann Joseph Hoffmann, who was the professor of Japanology at Leiden University, wrote a letter in Japanese to Suharaya Mohē in order to purchase Gagen Shūran in the 19th century. I don't know whether the level of Japanology in the Netherlands is now high, though. ｗ |
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Kimiko_0
Posts: 1796 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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Oh, I didn't know that. I didn't see 杦 in the Jinmeiyō and Jōyō lists, so I figured it must be an older one. Is it too new to be included or something?
I wouldn't know really. I live in Leiden, but haven't been a student at the university here in over ten years. I'm just another anime&games fan who's picked up a few words here and there and isn't very diligent in using the textbooks she has lying around 
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DerekTheRed
 Posts: 3544 Location: ::Points to hand:: |
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Related question for the editors:
Sometimes a person is credited in Hiragana on their first few jobs, and the encyclopedia ends up giving their entry a Kanji name in Hiragana. But then later they might start to receive credits in Kanji. Sometimes during the same series they might be credited as both their Hiragana and Kanji spelling in different episodes. What do? |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7584 Location: Wales |
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I really hope that a future version of the encyclopedia will allow for variant spellings in Kanji/Kana and Romaji since it comes up so often (and also allow for easier changes if it turns out someone's name has been mis-read).
PS: it is technically possible to list two different Kanji for someone by hiding one, adding the other then unhiding the first. Only admins can do it, and IIRC it does break something, somewhere. |
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Dan42
Chief Encyclopedist
 Posts: 3794 Location: Montreal |
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AFAIK adding more than 1 kanji name doesn't break anything. In fact I encourage doing it for people who are credited with various kanji that have the same pronunciation. The main reason it can only be done by staff is that otherwise everyone would start entering the hiragana reading of the names. When someone's name is in hiragana in the Japanese credits then it makes sense to enter that as "kanji name" but otherwise I don't think it would be a good idea.
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hyojodoji
Posts: 586 |
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'杦' is a relatively 'minor' kanji. So, probably committee members related to jinmeiyō kanji and jōyō kanji took no notice of '杦' in the first place. Even Shin Jigen, which is a scholarly but small dictionary, has approximately 10000 kanji. When you cannot find Kanji X in the lists of jōyō kanji and jinmeiyō kanji, it doesn't necessarily mean that Kanji X is a 'classical/old' kanji.
Oh, since you talked about kanji in detail, I was under the impression that you were a person who inherited the secrets of Japanology from old European Japanologists. ^_^ |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Just tested it with this entry (the family name can be written as either 薮下 or 藪下); both kanji family names can be picked up when submitting credits.  The only tiny drawback is the full kanji name cannot be displayed right below the romanji name, but that should not cause any problem.
I still remember a debate almost ten years ago; it's time to clear it up. |
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DerekTheRed
Posts: 3544 Location: ::Points to hand:: |
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So, should we begin a thread to report these issues, or do it through error reports, or what?
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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I'd say submitting error reports would be the easiest way. |
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