Topre Pronunciation

[didjamatic]

Does anyone live in Japan or have international calling options that would want to call Topre directly and report on how they pronounce "Topre"?  I know it's been discussed before but I don't think we clearly know how to pronounce it.

Topre contact info from their website:


Head Office
Asahi Bldg., 12-2, Nihonbashi
3-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo,
103-0027, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3271-0711
Fax: +81-3-3271-7045

[itlnstln]

ItlnStln: *Dials Topre*

Topre: Hi, this Deuce McDrop from Topre.  How ca...

ItlnStln: Thanks! *Click*


I don't know why I had that scenario going through my head.  I would call them, but I don't have international calling.  I can't have the Feds find out where I'm at.

[didjamatic]

I just called twice... It's a recording in Japanese but it sounds like it is pronounced: Toe Pruh (like Oprah)
They only say it briefly at the beginning of the message, but that's what it sounds like to me.  At first I thought it might have been "Toe Pray" but I believe it's:

tō·prə like Oprah.

[hyperlinked]

I still like Rajagra's pronunciation better:
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=7799#3

[kishy]

I had assumed it was "top-ray"

Oh well, doesn't look like I'll ever own one anyway. Carry on with ignorant remarks I shall.

[ch_123]

Someone with experience of Japanese, I think it might have been Majestouch, said that because of the way they pronounce Rs, it sounded something along the lines of "Tope-u-lay"

I could be completely wrong though.

[didjamatic]

Can someone else call the number and report what they hear?  They say it right at the beginning of the message.

[skcheng]

This thread cracks me up.   I thought Topre was short for Tokyo Press??  

It's like calling IBM to ask them how to pronounce IBM??

Uhh......I-Bum???     :crazy:

[ch_123]

So you're saying that we should say "T-O-P-R-E Keyboard"?

[porgo]

I imagined it would be pronounced like "topper".

[didjamatic]

Recording attached!  

It's either Toe Preh (like Oprah) or Toe Pray but with accent, it's hard to say for sure.  I'm leaning towards ToePreh like Oprah.

IF Topre is short for Tokyo Press, then it should definitely be pronounced Toe Preh like Oprah.

[chuckading]

Awesome didj, I have a really close Korean friend who resides in Seoul and her Mother speaks Japanese. I'm going to relay the question and post back with the response.

Anybody else been calling it "Toe-Pree" , long "o" and long "e".

[didjamatic]

That's awesome Webwit, I didn't think of that, but you're right.  

So we have English speakers calling Japanese speakers who prounounce what sounds like an English word, then we're forwarding it to a Korean speaker who's mother speaks Japanese.... If we keep it up, we're liable to cause a glitch in the Matrix.

[puntium]

The japanese pronunciation is actually something like toe-poo-reh (the of the rhe in rhetoric), because the full version would be toh-kyoh-poo-reh-su (tokyo press).

I'd guess a reasonable english pronunciation would be like toe-pray.

[didjamatic]

If the company name is created from the words Tokyo and Press, the only logical correct pronunciation is tō·prə - To from Tokyo and Pre from Press.  I think this fact about their company name's meaning is the strongest argument.  All others are accent and interpretation.  

The audio file supports this, the company name supports this, I think we have determined the correct pronunciation of Topre.

tō·prə

[Rajagra]

We've come a long long way together,
Through the hard times and the good,
I have to celebrate you baby,
I have Topres, you, like I should...

[quadibloc]

I had assumed it was "top-ray"

Oh well, doesn't look like I'll ever own one anyway. Carry on with ignorant remarks I shall.

I assumed the same vowel, although I pronounced it toe-PRAY. As if it were spelled Topré.

[kishy]

I assumed the same vowel, although I pronounced it toe-PRAY. As if it were spelled Topré.

Yeah, definitely the pré part, I wasn't entirely sure what I thought about the first part.

I think my interpretation is influenced based on having French language education. First thought of any new word that ends in a single e is "é" until determined otherwise.

[HaaTa]

The Japanese are supremely lazy when using english words.

Department Store = Dee-pah--to where the pah is held longer to simulate the 'r' sound that they can't properly sound.

Tokyo Press would be pronounced:
Toe-kyoh Poo-reh-ssu

Though I would have to listen to  someone saying it to be sure.

So I'd say
Toe-poo-reh

I can't use macron o's on my phone which would be more accurate for the 'Toe' part.

[HaaTa]

Why would they attach "su"..especially when su's are not pronounced?
It's just like the English "press" without the ss, but with a less rolling r. You pronounce the r in Japanese by keeping the tongue in the middle of your mouth and not touching the inside of your mouth with the tongue while pronouncing it.

Trying to get a Japanese person not experienced in other languages to pronounce just a consonant (other than m or n) is next to impossible.

Press, via google translate is プレス, which supports my claim.

[didjamatic]

Somebody call them and ask them if they've heard of...

"Flashu MemOree"

Dr Masuoka invented it to replace DIP switches "Deepoo Switchu"

Show Image

Oh my word, that about made me cry from laughing so hard.

[HaaTa]

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese/Pronunciation#Devoicing

Key word there is sometimes. Dialects and politeness levels have a lot to do with when that is used, rather than for the word itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_phonology#Devoicing

This also really only applies to Japanese words. Not Katakana loan words.
So, unless the speaker knows the english equivalent of プレス, then it will still be pu re su, rather than press because there is not hint whatsoever in the katakana.

Now looking at the Topre wiki page. The pronunciation of Topre is 東プレ or とうプレ to convert the first Kanji. Which is Tō pu re - (toe poo reh).

[quadibloc]

Why would they attach "su"..especially when su's are not pronounced?

You are oversimplifying.

Whether or not the final "u" on a Japanese word is pronounced depends on who you are. Men don't pronounce them; women do.

[DreymaR]

You native English speakers need to take some care:

- English is a language rife with diphtong prononciation of wovels. You glide around a majority of your vowel sounds I think. Other languages don't do that much at all, and Japanese is one of these. If a Japanese speaker says 'toe-pray' it's because he/she is trying to emulate Engrish.

- In Japanese, many consonants aren't used next to each other like in English and in fact most of the consonant letters are really a pair of a consonant and a vowel. So a word like 'switch' would become 'su-wi-chu' I suppose; the 'su' would be weakly pronounced though.

I don't speak Japanese myself, but I think what I'm saying is fairly accurate.

[itlnstln]

Lol, it sounds like a Japanese woman pronouncing Topre in English (the words Tokyo and Press cut off) and asking of they can be of service. You guys are making this more difficult than this is and turning it into some kind of mind **** where English people try to pronounce Japanese people who try to pronounce like English people who try to..

This.  Good night, now.

[Pettifogger]

The Japanese characters for Topre are 東プレ or to-o-pu-re. The second o just means it's a long o. Pu-re sounds like the English word pray or play. Oprah is written and spoken in Japanese as O-pu-ra.   So it's toe-play.

[kishy]

The Japanese characters for Topre are 東プレ or to-o-pu-re. The second o just means it's a long o. Pu-re sounds like the English word pray or play. Oprah is written and spoken in Japanese as O-pu-ra.   So it's toe-play.

Wouldn't a long O make it too-pray?

[kishy]

Actually webwit (and anyone else making the same point) is correct.

It's a combination of two English words, and we're saying it in English. The way Japanese letters are pronounced is irrelevant because it is an English 'word' and they are speaking English when they say it.

[HaaTa]

But Tokyo isn't an english word

And anyone who says Toe key oh instead of Toe kyo is just wrong.


And webwit, you are correct

That, and if these so called experts were right, the recording would have said "topless corporation".

It could also mean "topless corporation", not that I'd be complaining or anything.

[ricercar]

That's how they say it at the Alabama Plant[

Immediately invalidated for a pronunciation guide, bee caws awf dah dayp sawth aaksent.

[EverythingIBM]

Another japanese fun-fact: the guy who named "Roland" (as in the music company), randomly picked the name from a phone book. Kind of ironic since they had trouble pronouncing the Rs.

And I kind of like English (the only language that doesn't make every word a gender).

[chuckading]

Toe-poo-reh

This is what the Japanese speaking mom and Korean daughter are saying it is.  I lived in Seoul (gangnam) for over a year just recently and this is how I imagined they would say it.  

Maybe they are trying to pronounce our english characters of Topre, but either way, you pronounce it like quoted above in both countries, the KB geeks will know what you're talking about.

[didjamatic]

People in Alabama would pronounce Tokyo Press as "Tokyo Prayess" so this both supports the pronunciation being like the word "PRESS" and discounts the accuracy of their local dialect.

00:16 Community pronounced "communitaaay"
00:20 Deadline pronounced "dead-laaaayne"

[tjcaustin]

JWAZ told me to necro this ****

It's toprah

[kmiller8]

Vote. http://poll.pollcode.com/8hdls

[Sifo]

Toe Pray

[Halverson]

TOE PERRRRR

[Jocelyn]

TOE PERRRRR

I don't even own one, but I know how to do an "e" in Japanese

[jwaz]

Posting in a troll thread

also TowPuhRay

[SmallFry]

[Halverson]

**** RUGHT OFF SF

[Halverson]

SF SF SF SF SFSF S FSFSF SFSF SSF SFSFS FSFSF SF

[Sifo]

SF are my initials

[jwaz]

This is relevant to our conversation. and by conversation I mean argument.

[ApocalypseMaow]

For some reason I want to say Thorp. 

[tjcaustin]

This is relevant to our conversation. and by conversation I mean argument.

I wouldn't say argument, I would say I'm being exaggeratedly exhasperated

[SmallFry]

I used to say Filco as "Flick-oh"

[The_Beast]

I always say "toe pray" by that y be silent!

[Jocelyn]

I always say "toe pray" by that y be silent!

You good sir are correct, but you already know this.

[Halverson]

I always say "toe pray" by that y be silent!

You good sir are correct, but you already know this.

SHUT THE **** UP. YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED!!!!