EEPOET OF THE UNITED STATES GEOGEAPHIC BOAED, 19 
The letters "C. H." (courthouse) appended to the names of county- 
seats should be omitted. 
In the case of names consisting of more than one word it is some- 
times desirable to combine them into one word. 
It is desirable to avoid the use of diacritic characters. 
It is desirable to avoid the use of the words city and town as 
parts of names. 
It must be understood that these are not designed as rules, but 
as guiding 'principles, from which the Board reserves liberty to de- 
part whenever, in its judgment, it deems it advisable to do so. 
PRINCIPLES FOR SPECIAL APPLICATION IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 
(1) Geographic names in countries that use Roman characters 
should be rendered in the form adopted by the country having juris- 
diction, except where there are Enghsh equivalents already fixed 
by usage. In cases where the English equivalent is so different from 
the local form that the identity of the latter with the former might 
not be recognized, the English form should be adopted, but, both 
forms may be given. 
(2) The spelling of geographic names that require transliteration 
into Roman characters should represent the principal sounds of the 
word as pronounced in the native tongue, in accordance with the 
sounds of the letters in the following system. 
An approximation only to the true sound is aimed at in this 
system. The vowels are to be pronounced as in Italian and on the 
Continent of Europe generally, and the consonants as in Enghsh: 
a has the sound of a in father. Examples: Java, Banana, Somali, Bari. 
e has the sound of e in men. Examples: Tel el Kebir, Medina, Peru, 
i has the sound of i in ravine, or the sound of ee in beet. Examples: Fiji, Hindi. 
o has the sound of o in mote. 
u has the sound of oo in boot. Examples: Umnak, Unga. 
ai has the sound of i in ice. Example: Shanghai. 
ao is slightly different from above. Example: Nanao. 
ei has the sound of the two Italian vowels, but is frequently slurred over, when 
it is scarcely distinguishable from ey in the English they. Examples: Beirut, 
Beilul. 
c is always soft, and has nearly the sound of s; hard c is given by k. Example: 
Celebes. 
ch is always soft, as in church. Example: Chingchin. 
f as in English; ph should not be used for this sound. Thus, not Haiphong, 
but Haifong. 
g is always hard (soft g is given by j). Example: Galapagos. 
h is always pronounced when inserted. 
j as in English; dj should never be used for this sound. Examples: Japan, 
Jinchuen. 
k as in English. It should always be used for the hard c. Thus, not Corea, but 
Korea. 
