The Sun

[Mark Nornes]

On Oct 6, 2005, at 6:58 AM, Aaron Gerow wrote:

> I would warn them on several fronts: 1) Libraries will not use that 
> aberrant rendering; 2) In databases, the aberrant rendering and the 
> proper rendering might end up as completely different entries, as if 
> they are different people; 3) it causes problems whenever anyone tries 
> to be consistent in publication (Joe Shishido may look OK, but it 
> starts looking odd when as a scholar you have decided to maintain 
> Japanese name order: Shishido Joe); 4) and frankly, in some cases, it 
> still stinks of "datsu-A nyu-O", with Japanese trying to de-Japanify 
> their names in order to seem more Western. Simply put, I would tell 
> them not to create such names.

All good warnings. But speaking as someone who tends to slip and slide 
behind his signifier, I can say that it's possible to lead a perfectly 
wonderful life while frustrating the bibliographers!

A. M. Nornes