Is it 'Low' or 'Lauw'?

This is my favorite movie of all time...HOWEVER it's pronounced (Tony says "low" so that's how I say it) doesn't matter....This movie has enchanted me since I was five years old, the first time I saw it (1969)...and I love sharing it with anyone who's open-minded enough to watch...

Matt

I just watched Dr. Lao for the first time in 30 years and the same question occurs to me; why the difference in pronunciation? I don't think it is accidental because an excellent director like Pal wouldn't allow such an obvious continuity gaff. Is there some subtle linguistic difference between "Low" and "Lauw" that pertains to the main character? Maybe Pal just wanted to have some fun with those of us who worry too much about details. He succeeded.

It's gotta be intentional.

I think the white people seeing "Lao" on his signs would pronounce it "Lauw" or rather, "Laa-ow", from sounding the letters out. However, in Chinese, it would sound more like "Low".

The English spelling of all Chinese names is phonetic, hence the number of different ways of spelling many common Chinese names. I agree that "Lo" is the correct pronunciation, since this is the one the good doctor himself uses.

Low is the correct pronunciation...

(put Signature here...)

If you've ever watched Mystery Science Theater 3000, you might know that when Joel Hodgson left the show, he quoted that final speech by Dr. Lao, saying that it was his favorite movie. And then he mispronounced the name... Ugh! "It's LOW. Doctor LOW!"

I noticed this, too, and just chalked it up to a lack of knowledge on the part of the filmmakers about Chinese.

I'm not familiar with Cantonese pronunciation methods, but it appears that in all three common Mandarin romanizations, "Lao" would be pronounced "La-oh" (but really fast so like Lauw) and not like Tony Randall pronounces it in the film as "Lo" which completely drops the [a].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade%E2%80%93Giles#Comparison_chart

I was glancing at the Cantonese romanizations, and only the Guangdong Romanization has a rime "ao" which is pronounced the same as above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong_Romanization#Rimes

Again, I don't make any claims of knowledge about Cantonese, and my knowledge of linguistics is basic at best. It could very well be that in one of the numerous methods "ao" sounds like "o" or at least something closer than the Mandarin pronunciation. Mandarin I know a bit about, but Cantonese is a whole different ball park.



SEE YOU AT DA PAHTY, RICHTAH!

1. Any English spelling of a Chinese name is an approximation.
2. A person of Chinese descent would have a name that has an Chinese character associated with that name, which would instantly tell a Chinese speaking/reading person how the name is meant to be pronounced.
3. The English approximation of a Chinese name typically misses many nuances of the actual pronunciation, which is generally lost on western ears.