UNITED STATES BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES. 
Letters. 
a 
e 
i 
o 
u 
ai 
au 
ao 
ei 
b 
c 
ch 
d 
f 
Sounds; 
Example. 
kh 
: 
ah, a as in father 
eh, e as in men 
English e; i as in ravine; the sound of ee 
in beet. Thus, not Feejee, but 
o as in mote. 
double o, as in boot. 
All vowels are shortened in sound by 
doubling the following consonant 
Doubling of a vowel is only necessary 
where there is a distinct repetition of 
the single sound 
English i as in ice 
ow as in how. Thus, not Foochow, but. . 
is slightly different from above 
is the sound of the two Italian vowels, 
but is frequently slurred over, when it 
is scarcely to be distinguished from ey 
in the English they 
English b. 
is always soft and nearly the sound of s ; 
the hard c is given by k 
is always soft, as in church 
English d. 
English f ; ph should not be used for tbe 
sound off. Thus, not Haiphong, but.. 
is always hard (soft g is given by j) 
is always pronounced when inserted. 
English j . Dj should never be pjit for this 
sound 
English k. It should always be put for 
the hard c. Thus, not Corea, but 
the Oriental guttural 
is another guttural, as in the Turkish 
as in English. 
has two slightly different sounds, as in 
finger, singer, 
as in English, 
should never be employed ; qu is given by 
kw 
as in English. 
Java, Banana, Somali, Bari. 
Tel el Kebir, Oleleh, Medina, 
Levuka, Peru. 
Fiji, Hindi. 
Yarra, Tanna, Jidda, Bonni. 
Nuulua. 
Shanghai. 
Fuchau. 
Nanao. 
is always a consonant, as in yard (Kikuyti), 
and therefore should not be used for the 
vowel i. Thus, not Mikindany, but 
English z 
Accents should not generally be used, but 
where there is a very decided, emphatic 
syllable or stress which affects the sound 
of the word it should be marked by an 
acute accent 
Beirut, Beiliil. 
Celebes. 
Chingchin. 
Haifong, Nafa. 
Galapagos. 
Japan, Jinchuen. 
Korea. 
Khan. 
Dagh, Ghazi. 
Kwangtung. 
Sawiikin. 
Mikindani. 
Zulu. 
Tongatiibu, Galapagos, Pala- 
Avan, Sarawak. 
In conclusion, the Board respectfully calls your attention to the fact 
that it has no means provided for printing and circulating its decisions. 
Thus far the bulletins of the Board have been published by various 
bureaus represented. Through the courtesy of the Smithsonian Insti- 
