[MPlayer-cvslog] CVS: main AUTHORS,1.176,1.177

[The Wanderer]

Ivo wrote:

> On Saturday 15 April 2006 10:14, Attila Kinali wrote:
> 
>> This is not completely true. Whether they write their family or
>> given name first in Roman letters depends on the person. I have
>> seen both with about equal probabilty. This makes it quite hard to
>> tell which one is the family name and which the given name if you
>> have never heard either of them.
> 
> Which is why I still don't know whether Takeshi or Kitano is the
> family name:
> 
> Google:
> "takeshi kitano"	2,090,000 hits
> "kitano takeshi" 309,000 hits

The numbers are even more striking if you use google.co.jp for those two
searches.

> One would think the former is the preffered way of writing his name,
> but wikipedia says:
> 
> Takeshi Kitano (北野 武, Kitano Takeshi, b. January 18, 1947)
> 
> which makes me think the former is the "Western" order and the latter
> is how it is written in Japan.
> 
> So, which is right? This has been boggling me for years :)

I've never heard of the person before, but crossing a Google search for
the kanji provided on the Wikipedia page (in both orders) with a quick
check of enamdict to confirm which half is "Kitano" and which is
"Takeshi" finds 279,000 hits for "北野 武" (that is, "Kitano Takeshi")
but only 1,190 for "武 北野". This is not conclusive, but I'd take it as
more reliable than searching for the romanized version of the name.

-- 
       The Wanderer

Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.

Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.