Re:Ronda Rousey: 'I never wanted to talk about concussion. I...
by thaumasiotes on Thursday April 11, 2024 @07:41AM
(#40001089)
> The pronunciation has always been “tsu”.
This seems unlikely. The pronunciation was tsu before WWII. But the organization of the syllabary strongly suggests that the pronunciation was once tu.
I don't know to what degree the syllable 'tu' is viewed as impossible in Japanese as opposed to merely nonexistent. (Compare Mandarin, where (as in Japanese) there is no syllable /si/, but it's not especially difficult for Mandarin speakers to pronounce /si/.) I'd be interested if you knew.
You are right about the transliteration of English words into kana.