1、BRITISH STANDARD BS 4812:1972 Specification for The romanization of JapaneseBS4812:1972 This British Standard, having been approved by the Documentation Standards Committee, was published underthe authority of the Executive Board on 31July1972 BSI 03-2000 The following BSI references relate to the w
2、ork on this standard: Committee reference OC/20/9/5 Draft for comment 70/9569 ISBN 0 580 07354 8 Co-operating organizations The Documentation Standards Committee, under whose supervision this British Standard was prepared, consists of representatives from the following Government departments and sci
3、entific, technical and professional organizations: The organizations marked with an asterisk in the above list, together with the following, were directly represented on the committee entrusted with the preparation of this British Standard: Aslib* Ministry of Defence* Biological Council* National Ce
4、ntral Library Bodleian Library National Lending Library for Science and Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Technology Ireland National Library of Scotland British Council* National Library of Wales British Museum* National Reference Library of Science and British National Bibliography Inve
5、ntion Cambridge University Library* National Reprographic Centre for Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux* Documentation Construction Industry Research and Periodical Publishers Association Information Association Permanent Committee on Geographical Names Department of Education and Science: Office (Ro
6、yal Geographical Society)* for Scientific and Technical Information Publishers Association Department of Trade and Industry Royal Institute of British Architects H.M. Stationery Office Royal Society* Institute of Information Scientists Science Abstracts Institute of Journalists Science Museum Librar
7、y Institute of Technical Publicity and Society of Indexers Publications Standing Conference of National and Library Association* University Libraries Centre for Information on Language Teaching Polytechnic of Central London Faculty Board of Oriental Studies (Cambridge School of Oriental and African
8、Studies (London University) University) Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sheffield University Japan Association Society for Cultural Relations with the USSR Japanese Chamber of Commerce Society for Promotion of Hellenic Studies London Chamber of Commerce Society of Antiquaries of London Oxford Univer
9、sity Amendments issued since publication Amd. No. Date CommentsBS4812:1972 BSI 03-2000 i Contents Page Co-operating organizations Inside front cover Foreword ii 1 Scope 1 2 System employed 1 3 Prerequisites of application 1 3.1 Readings 1 3.2 Morpheme boundaries 1 4 General rules of application 1 4.
10、1 Capitalization and word division 1 4.2 Syllabic N 1 4.3 Doubled consonants 1 4.4 Long vowels 1 Appendix A Note on systems and variants 5 Table 1 Simple signs 2 Table 2 Digraphs representing palatalized syllables 3 Table 3 Kana digraphs and trigraphs containing long vowels 3 Table 4 Modified kana u
11、sed only in representing non-Japanese words 4BS4812:1972 ii BSI 03-2000 Foreword In 1968 the British Standards Institution held a conference at which oriental language specialists reviewed existing systems for the romanization of Japanese and confirmed that the long-established Hepburn system was st
12、ill the one best suited for use in the English-speaking world. Delegates to the conference agreed further on the desirability of presenting the Hepburn system in the form of a British Standard and a panel was appointed to undertake the work. The panel decided to recommend the system of romanization
13、generally known as “modified Hepburn”, with one exception (see4.2). The notes and tables that follow give full details of this system, while the Appendix contains some information about other systems and includes a list of variants. This British Standard, prepared under the authority of the Document
14、ation Standards Committee, will agree closely with the American National Standard for the romanization of Japanese (in course of preparation). The co-operation of the American National Standards Institute is gratefully acknowledged. A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary pr
15、ovisions of a contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application. Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity from legal obligations. Summary of pages This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii, pages1 to 6,
16、an inside back cover and a back cover. This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on the inside front cover.BS4812:1972 BSI 03-2000 1 1 Scope This standard establishes a system for the romanization of th
17、e Japanese written language. Unrestricted application of the system, as with any other system, requires that the romanizer possess a detailed knowledge of the language in its modern and historical written forms (see3). For purposes of romanization, writings in classical Chinese by Japanese authors a
18、re regarded as being in the Japanese language. Other writings in classical Chinese may be romanized as Japanese if the text as published or written incorporates Japanese “reading marks” (kunten) or is accompanied by material in Japanese integral to the bibliographical unit. 2 System employed The sys
19、tem of romanization employed shall be that generally known as “modified Hepburn”, as exemplified inTable 1Table 3, with the single exception specified in4.2. NOTEThe limitation of the tables to kana signs and their romanized equivalents should not be taken to imply that the operation of romanizing J
20、apanese with accuracy requires that a text be rendered into kana. It must be emphasized, however, that the system employed depends for verifiability on a direct correlation with a systematic kana orthography; the degree to which this is explicit in a text is considered irrelevant. Special provision
21、is made for the romanization of non-Japanese words and proper names written in kana, insofar as these involve special signs not provided for by the “modified Hepburn” system (seeTable 4). 3 Prerequisites for application 3.1 Readings It is assumed that the approved modern kana spelling (gendai kanazu
22、kai) of all Japanese words to be romanized is known and consequently the correct “reading” (or in certain cases an acceptable reading) of any word represented by a Chinese character or combination of characters, is also known. A reading indicated by furigana is always to be respected, even though it
23、 be an eccentric one. 3.2 Morpheme boundaries It is assumed that the romanizer will recognize the presence of a morpheme boundary between two successive kana signs that would otherwise represent a syllable containing a long vowel. Thus, the sequence of three signs romanized respectively ko, u and sh
24、i is to be romanized koushi if the word is that meaning “calf” but if it is that, for example, meaning “lattice”. NOTEThough unmarked in ordinary kana writing, morpheme boundaries are customarily indicated in dictionary entries by means of a dot, hyphen or the like. The ending u following another vo
25、wel in the basic form of the verb is always treated as morphemic, thus: omou, tou, nuu. Exception is made in the case of the classical auxiliary verb (not). 4 General rules of application 4.1 Capitalization and word division Useful guidance on capitalization and word division is contained in Catalog
26、ing Rules of the American Library Association and the Library of Congress: Additions and Changes, 19491958. Washington, D.C., Library of Congress, 1959, pp. 4856: “Manual of Romanization, Capitalization, Punctuation and Word Division for Chinese, Japanese and Korean”. 4.2 Syllabic N When preceding a
27、 vowel or “y” in the same word syllabic “n” (kana or) is followed by an apostrophe, e.g. kan (“cherry-blossom viewing”), kin (“finance”); but kan (“possible”), (“entry”), where the “n” begins a syllable. Preceding “b”, “m” or “p” internally, syllabic “n” is romanized “n” rather than “m”, e.g. hanbai
28、 (not hambai) 1) . 4.3 Doubled consonants Preceding a sign with an inherent consonant the subscript sign for tsu ( or ), or one which could be so written, is romanized by doubling the consonant in question, e.g. , kuppuku, except for the digraphs “sh”, “ch” and “ts” which become “ssh”, “tch” and “tt
29、s” respectively, e.g. nesshin, hatchaku, futtsuri. 4.4 Long vowels In romanization long vowels are marked with a macron, viz. “”, except in certain cases of lengthened “i” (see NOTE underTable 3). 1) This exception to the “modified Hepburn” system, introduced in the1954 edition of Kenk-yushas New Ja
30、panese-English Dictionary, is adopted primarily to obviate anomalous and inconsistent treatment of syllabic “n” in certain systematically formed compounds, written as single words according to the rules for word division, e.g. Shinmatsu (“end of the Ching dynasty”), shuppanbu (“publication division”
31、). When syllabic “n” precedes “b”, “m” or “p” internally in the first word of a filing medium, it is recommended that a cross-reference be made from that word spelled with “m” instead of “n”. koshi soro sorou o yu o kinyu gakko oBS 4812:1972 2 BSI 03-2000 Table 1 Simple signs H = hiragana; K = katak
32、ana; R = romanization No. H K R No. H K R No. H K R No. H K R No. H K R 1 Romanized “wa” when used for the postposition so pronounced. 2 Romanized “e” when used for the postposition so pronounced. 3 In modern orthography used only for the postposition so pronounced (romanization “wo” may be found);
33、for use in non-Japanese words, seeTable 4. 4 Not used in modern orthography; for use in non-Japanese words, seeTable 4.BS4812:1972 BSI 03-2000 3 Table 2 Digraphs representing palatalized syllables Table 3 Kana digraphs and trigraphs containing long vowels No. H K R No. H K R No. H K R No. H R No. H
34、R No. H R No. H R NOTEOther long vowels, expressed in kana by repeating the sign for a pure vowel or by adding it to a syllabic sign in which that vowel is inherent, or by the addition of a lengthening bar, are romanized by marking the vowel in question with a macron. By exception the vowel “i” when
35、 lengthened by kana is romanized “ii”. Examples:BS4812:1972 4 BSI 03-2000 Table 4 Modified kana used only in representing non-Japanese words NOTEThis table, while subject to enlargement and not exhaustive, includes all combinations currently approved, in particular those authorized by the Japanese M
36、inistry of Education, as well as a selection of obsolete and idiosyncratic signs. Combinations not listed can, it is thought, be romanized consistently by analogy with those listed, e.g. , if encountered, would be romanized beo. A lengthening bar following any of these signs, as with those kana sign
37、s inTable 1 Table 3, indicates a long vowel, to be marked with a macron. (The macron is placed over the second vowel in those syllables containing two vowels, viz. .) A subscript preceding any sign with an inherent consonant modifies that consonant in accordance with the provisions of4.3, e.g.Bahha
38、(i.e. Bach). No. K R No. K R No. K R No. K R No. K R 1 SeeTable 1, Note 3. geoBS4812:1972 BSI 03-2000 5 Appendix A Note on systems and variants The first modern systematized romanization was that of the American missionary JamesCurtisHepburn(18151911) in his “A Japanese and English Dictionary” (firs
39、t edition,1867). It became known in Japan as hebon-shiki (“Hepburn system”) and was related to English spelling practice. Ithas been only slightly modified to form the British Standard (see2.1). Later, various systems were devised by Japanese official and unofficial bodies to represent a purely Japa
40、nese sound system. One group of these has become known as Nippon-siki (“Japanese system”) and dates from about1900. Another important system was kunrei-siki (“Cabinet decree system”), 1937. The present situation in Japan is that a Cabinet notice of1954 has recommended the use of what is in effect ku
41、nrei-siki, but states that there is no objection “in international and other connections” to the use of certain variants which are derived from Hepburn and Nippon-siki. In the following list are set out forms differing from the British Standard which may be encountered when reading romanized Japanes
42、e. These, together with the British Standard form, are arranged in four columns, the third of which, “Miscellaneous”, contains three forms (i.e. mb, mm, mp) which were part of the original Hepburn system (see footnote to4.2) and others which do not belong to any of the systems mentioned. Nippon-siki
43、 kunrei-siki Miscellaneous British Standard di ji du zu dy- j- dzu zu gw- g- hu hu fu io iu kw- k- mb nb mm nm mp np oh si si shi sy- sy- sh- ti ti chi tu tu tsu ty- ty- ch- wo o ye e zi zi ji zy- zy- j- yo y u o6 blankBS4812:1972 BSI 03-2000 British Standards The following are available on applicat
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49、s and clothing (SL 33) Welding (SL 7)BS 4812:1972 BSI 389 Chiswick High Road London W4 4AL BSIBritishStandardsInstitution BSI is the independent national body responsible for preparing BritishStandards. It presents the UK view on standards in Europe and at the international level. It is incorporated by Royal Charter. Revisions BritishStandards are updated by amendment or revision. Users of BritishStandards should make sure that they possess the latest amendments or editions. It is the constant aim of BSI to improve the quality of our p
