Pronunciation of word final "a" in sanskrit

[jp]

Here in Toronto, we have an Indian news program where the Indian
newsreaders, reading news in heavily Indian-accented English, always
pronounce Indian names with a strong English accent. Probably the same
psychology as Mr. Zydenbos' friend Narayan at work here.

Sujatha

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Zydenbos <zydenbos at BIGFOOT.DE>
To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Date: Sunday, May 30, 1999 4:34 AM
Subject: Re: Pronunciation of word final "a" in sanskrit


> This  has  never  been  a  problem  anywhere  in  coastal  Karnatak.  I
> would  even  add  Uttar  Karnatak.  ............

Yes, this is funny... It seems to confirm the strange answer I once
got, when I asked a friend in Mysore why he wrote his name 'Narayan'
instead of 'Narayana': "That's what we do when we write in English,
because that's how English people pronounce our names." This answer
offers more than one problem (e.g.: why accept the supposedly English
way of distorting your own name when using Latin script? or: do
'English people' really do so? and if so: why? and where do they get
such ideas from?). I did not pursue the matter at the time, since it
was bound to become too personal.