Se Ri Park(that's right)

cleo · 09-25-2007, 08:11 PM

nice article about the newest HOFamer:http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/.../20070924sirak

bangkokbobby · 11-30-2007, 02:22 AM

Sirak probably isn't up on his Korean...but Park and Pak are the same name written with the same hangul in Korean. And Pak is closer to how it really sounds. How Pak became Park in the West is a mystery since it sounds closer to Pak...Grace Park's Korean name is Pak Ji-Eun but you could also write it Park Ji-Eun...in fact, Se Ri, Grace, Hee Young Park and Jin Young Pak all have the same family name, although not related, all spelled the same in Korean hangul:

Park Hee Young:

Pak Se Ri:

Pak Ji Eun (Grace Park):

You can see that regardless of how the name is romanized (or westernized), that in Korean the surname (which in this case is the first character in each) is exactly the same.

So the writer might be correct that Se Ri would have westernized her name as Park, since that spelling is more common than Pak, but in Korea both Se Ri and Grace would have written their surnames the same in Korean...because they are the same...and they both sound closer to Pak...in fact, if you ever get a chance to see the Spirit of the Game special on Grace Park (they replay it from time to time on The Golf Channel) she explains that her name in Korean is Pak Ji-Eun, pronouncing it like Pak, and then explains that Pak is Park.

Always have to be careful when looking at Asian names written in our alphabet, or any other alphabet outside of the home country of where the people come from, because there are so many different systems applied when romanizing Asian names. For example:

Tennis player Michael Chang
Movie director Zhang Yimou
Actress Zhang Ziyi (or flipped Ziyi Zhang)

At first glance it looks like the second two have the same family name of Zhang and Michael Chang has a similar looking but different family name...but don't be fooled!! Remember, in Chinese they use characters and the differences in these names using a Western alphabet is because of different systems of romanization. In reality, both Michael Chang and Zhang Yimou have the same character for their family name, pronounced the same (depending on if you're using the same dialect)...but Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi use different Chinese characters for Zhang, so even thought they look and sound the same to us, in Chinese they only sound they same...they are actually different characters...and different characters in Chinese have different meanings. Sometimes you might see two Chinese names romanized the same but not only are they different characters, but they might not be pronounced the same either, due to different tonal accents...although that's not the case here as all three surnames in this example use first tone.

...so in this case Chang and Zhang looked different, but in one case it was actually the same character...while the two Zhangs looked the same, but were different characters...

...aren't you guys glad I don't stop in here that often...talk about long-winded explanations!! LOL!!

wiefan · 11-30-2007, 03:26 AM

Hi ya bangkokbobby....terriffic post...I was waiting for the video and music....just kidding....good to hear from you again

**for those of you that don't know bangkokbobby....he is one of the better posters on any site he goes

. ...his use of photos and music are priceless

anyway bkb....you take good care of yourself and don't be a stranger to this site or the sistersite wietalk....see ya and Aloha!!

bangkokbobby · 11-30-2007, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by wiefan

Hi ya bangkokbobby....terriffic post...I was waiting for the video and music....just kidding....good to hear from you again

**for those of you that don't know bangkokbobby....he is one of the better posters on any site he goes. ...his use of photos and music are priceless

anyway bkb....you take good care of yourself and don't be a stranger to this site or the sistersite wietalk....see ya and Aloha!!

I hate to disappoint...so although most of you probably already have TGC and have seen this...for those who don't have TGC and haven't seen this...here is Se Ri's induction speech at the HOF...warning, it's a big file (211MB) so I'd recommend downloading and watching rather than streaming:

RIGHT CLICK PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD VIDEO, LEFT CLICK TO STREAM VIDEO

cougar · 11-30-2007, 09:20 AM

I have a Korean friend whose father and uncle (two brothers) who have different last names (Americanized). When they came through immigration, they were asked what their names were. The two went to different lines, and the immigration officers heard the names differently. The names that were written down became the official names when they were naturalized as American citizens.

09-25-2007, 08:11 PM	#1
cleo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: PA Posts: 1,494	Se Ri Park(that's right) nice article about the newest HOFamer:http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/.../20070924sirak __________________ "There's no use arguing with a fool. He only rages and scoffs, and tempers flare."

11-30-2007, 02:22 AM	#2
bangkokbobby Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York Posts: 2,895	Sirak probably isn't up on his Korean...but Park and Pak are the same name written with the same hangul in Korean. And Pak is closer to how it really sounds. How Pak became Park in the West is a mystery since it sounds closer to Pak...Grace Park's Korean name is Pak Ji-Eun but you could also write it Park Ji-Eun...in fact, Se Ri, Grace, Hee Young Park and Jin Young Pak all have the same family name, although not related, all spelled the same in Korean hangul: Park Hee Young: Pak Se Ri: Pak Ji Eun (Grace Park): You can see that regardless of how the name is romanized (or westernized), that in Korean the surname (which in this case is the first character in each) is exactly the same. So the writer might be correct that Se Ri would have westernized her name as Park, since that spelling is more common than Pak, but in Korea both Se Ri and Grace would have written their surnames the same in Korean...because they are the same...and they both sound closer to Pak...in fact, if you ever get a chance to see the Spirit of the Game special on Grace Park (they replay it from time to time on The Golf Channel) she explains that her name in Korean is Pak Ji-Eun, pronouncing it like Pak, and then explains that Pak is Park. Always have to be careful when looking at Asian names written in our alphabet, or any other alphabet outside of the home country of where the people come from, because there are so many different systems applied when romanizing Asian names. For example: Tennis player Michael Chang Movie director Zhang Yimou Actress Zhang Ziyi (or flipped Ziyi Zhang) At first glance it looks like the second two have the same family name of Zhang and Michael Chang has a similar looking but different family name...but don't be fooled!! Remember, in Chinese they use characters and the differences in these names using a Western alphabet is because of different systems of romanization. In reality, both Michael Chang and Zhang Yimou have the same character for their family name, pronounced the same (depending on if you're using the same dialect)...but Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi use different Chinese characters for Zhang, so even thought they look and sound the same to us, in Chinese they only sound they same...they are actually different characters...and different characters in Chinese have different meanings. Sometimes you might see two Chinese names romanized the same but not only are they different characters, but they might not be pronounced the same either, due to different tonal accents...although that's not the case here as all three surnames in this example use first tone. ...so in this case Chang and Zhang looked different, but in one case it was actually the same character...while the two Zhangs looked the same, but were different characters... ...aren't you guys glad I don't stop in here that often...talk about long-winded explanations!! LOL!! __________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/ Last edited by bangkokbobby; 11-30-2007 at 06:14 AM.

11-30-2007, 03:26 AM	#3
wiefan Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 4,135	Hi ya bangkokbobby....terriffic post...I was waiting for the video and music....just kidding....good to hear from you again **for those of you that don't know bangkokbobby....he is one of the better posters on any site he goes. ...his use of photos and music are priceless anyway bkb....you take good care of yourself and don't be a stranger to this site or the sistersite wietalk....see ya and Aloha!!

11-30-2007, 06:13 AM	#4
bangkokbobby Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York Posts: 2,895	Originally Posted by wiefan Hi ya bangkokbobby....terriffic post...I was waiting for the video and music....just kidding....good to hear from you again for those of you that don't know bangkokbobby....he is one of the better posters on any site he goes. ...his use of photos and music are priceless anyway bkb....you take good care of yourself and don't be a stranger to this site or the sistersite wietalk....see ya and Aloha!! I hate to disappoint...so although most of you probably already have TGC and have seen this...for those who don't have TGC and haven't seen this...here is Se Ri's induction speech at the HOF...warning, it's a big file (211MB) so I'd recommend downloading and watching rather than streaming: RIGHT CLICK PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD VIDEO, LEFT CLICK TO STREAM VIDEO** __________________ Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. ---Bruce Lee http://bangkokbobbysports.wordpress.com/

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11-30-2007, 09:20 AM	#5
cougar Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: SoCal Posts: 734 Images: 20	I have a Korean friend whose father and uncle (two brothers) who have different last names (Americanized). When they came through immigration, they were asked what their names were. The two went to different lines, and the immigration officers heard the names differently. The names that were written down became the official names when they were naturalized as American citizens.