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Tamiya....lets get it right.


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You should let the Tamiya family know ... they've been mispronouncing their own name for a long, long time. :lol:

Just one little thing that's bothered me since you posted this, and I have no reason to believe you're wrong, but what's your reference for this? I've done my best to find out how the Japanese pronounce it and I've posted my findings here, but I'd just like to know. So, how does the Tamiya family pronounce it?

I would add that when I say what I found is closest to "TAHM-YAH,'" it includes the fact the the American pronunciation of the Y includes a slight E sound.

Edited by sjordan2
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So, how does the Tamiya family pronounce it?

I have spoken with Mr. Tamiya and his son-in-law, also Mr. Tamiya, on several occassions:

Actually... And this is from one of the Mr. Tamiya's...

Ta-me-a

No emphasis on any syllable. It is Japansese, not English so the rules are a little bit different..

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I have spoken with Mr. Tamiya and his son-in-law, also Mr. Tamiya, on several occasions:

Actually... And this is from one of the Mr. Tamiya's...

Ta-me-a

No emphasis on any syllable. It is Japanese, not English so the rules are a little bit different..

Case closed.

Edited by sjordan2
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I have spoken with Mr. Tamiya and his son-in-law, also Mr. Tamiya, on several occassions:

Ditto - Been there and heard that. All the employees at Tamiya say it the same way. -Tahmeah very flat with no inflection. Very hard for an american to get it just right.

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Just one little thing that's bothered me since you posted this, and I have no reason to believe you're wrong, but what's your reference for this? I've done my best to find out how the Japanese pronounce it and I've posted my findings here, but I'd just like to know. So, how does the Tamiya family pronounce it?

My reference is Mark D. Jones and a couple of other people I know personally. They are the only people I know who have had personal interactions with members of the Tamiya family on more than one occasion. They independently agree and cross-validate on another on the pronunciation. Thus, I personally place great credibility on their information.

B)

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  • 1 year later...

People like Harry P and I have tried to get our members to pronounce "Willys" properly for a long time, instead of "Willies." How about getting it right via the way the MANUFACTURER pronounced it (like, "whatcha doin,' Willis")? Even the estimable Donn Yost gets it wrong in his video (which I was just watching and inspired this post). BTW, nice Dagmars.

Edited by sjordan2
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so

So what? There have been several threads on this subject regarding a lot of Willys models before. It makes sense to see what the manufacturer said about it, and no one else has presented this. So. No need to get snarky, especially when you don't know what's gone before..

Edited by sjordan2
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Interesting video, cool to see the old stuff like that. Did the '54 really get 500 miles to a tank of gas?

Btw, I've always said "Willies", though now I do try to pronounce it correctly as "Willis". I get that from reading a lot of car mags as a kid, but not getting to talk with many people about cars. I was never straightened out.

Thanks for the post.

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According to historians and people who actually knew John Willys and /or members of the family, the family name is pronounced "wil-lis"... not "wil-eez."

But... so many people say "wil-eez" by mistake that the incorrect pronunciation has actually become the "accepted" pronunciation among a lot of car guys. But it's wrong.

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Lmao !

Ok. , Skip , I stand corrected ! Harry did state it best . From the time I understood the spoken word , within my family , the word was pronounced " Willys " . Who was I to question WW2 vets about the Jeeps that they drove during and after the war and how the manufacturer's name was pronounced ?

As for knowing the " subject matter " , the DVD was on airbrushing and I think that I covered that subject quite thoroughly and to a high degree !

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And while we're at it., it's "porsh-uh, not "porsh."

And it's "ow-dee," not "aw-dee."

The "Porsh" pronunciation is fun to use to mess with people. I told a kid for like 20 minutes "It's not a 'Porsh'." He finally said " What do you mean?" I replied, "There's no such thing as a 'Porsh', but there is such a thing as a Porsh-uh."

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Sauna: Sow-na and not saw-na (sow as in female pig, not sow as in seeding).

That's the really hot room Finns sit in.

Ding ding, we have a winner!

OT: Even though I know the correct pronunciation, I still say "Will-eez" since whenever I see the word "Willy" pronounced it's always "Will-ee" rather than "Will-ih". Yes it is a name, but it's just how I grew up saying it.

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Lmao !

Ok. , Skip , I stand corrected ! Harry did state it best . From the time I understood the spoken word , within my family , the word was pronounced " Willys " . Who was I to question WW2 vets about the Jeeps that they drove during and after the war and how the manufacturer's name was pronounced ?

As for knowing the " subject matter " , the DVD was on airbrushing and I think that I covered that subject quite thoroughly and to a high degree !

Your video is awesome (I have both) and I mean no disrepect (hey, I called you "estimable.")

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