Well Don, you now have me wondering!

Please post what you found on the hosta library, and where you found it- as you now also have me wondering about where you found it as well!

Enquiring minds want to know!

Margaret

Down thread...

Hi Margaret.....It's three syllables, sounds like 'SAH-GAH-ay'. It's in the main description of the plant under 'Sagae' in the hosta library. That is what I was arguing for, concerning my neighbor; the pronunciation that the hosta library states is accurate.

Don B.

Ah, I see it now. I was looking on the main page. Clicking through to the Myhosta database does bring up that info.

Thanks Don for enabling me to learn something new today!
Margaret

You're welcome, Margaret. It's the 'Japanese don't waste any syllables' sentence that explains it. I used to work for a Japanese (retail, and they did do some other things) record company called Cisco Music back in the early-and-mid 90's when I lived in Los Angeles, (I was in my twenties) and one of the first things I learned about the language was, for example, the word 'date', in Japanese, is pronounced 'DAH-tay'. Where there is an 'E' at the end of a Japanese word, that letter is used as it's own syllable. Actually, that job was a great experience, and I got to go to Tokyo for 15 days for a co-worker's wedding,
and I have to say, the hospitality and friendliness of the locals was wonderful. I speak a little Japanese, but not much, but many of the locals do speak English, and made me feel so welcome, speaking MY language. It was an unforgettable experience, and I had not a bad moment there. That's my only overseas experience to date, except when I was a very small child. I'm NOT very well-traveled, but the visit is still, and probably always will be, one of the most-remembered experiences of my life........Wow, sorry, that just all came out! That was in 1993; Just think if I'd had a clue what hostas were way way back then. I'd maybe have hiked a little bit up Mt. Fujiyama and looked for greenie double-bloomers! LOL The wedding was so formal, then it was not much sleep, being social and looking at everything (remember, I was in my twenties) awesome great visit! Not exactly all formal... ; )

Anyway, I'm sorry, just a little spontaneous nostalgia...Japan was so fun.

Don B.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 2:17

i say Sah-guy

ken

That's one of the great things about living in the South. We add and delete entire syllables to any word we choose to. :)

.....and I've been saying sigh guy!!! I'm too old to change now!!

I pronounce it the same way as Ken...sah-guy.
Vanessa

Well, I tend to look at almost everything from a latin point of view, since I took 3 years of it for some unknown reason, LOL. If it was latin, which almost everything derives from anyway, then the pronunciation sah-GUY would be correct, as pronounced in latin. I really tend to do that with plants even more, because of their actual latin names, so if it makes you guys feel any better, in the latin form, you'd be right.

This is probably one of those things that, yes, was named as a Japanese word, but changed into a user-friendly American version for our American tongues. I think most people would pronounce this sah-GUY, despite the right or wrongness of it.

Don-san,

Traveling with some Japanese business associates they told be they found non-Japanese names very unusual as all Japanese names end in vowels and never in consonants. If you are ever in doubt about whether someone is Japanese or other Asian, a clue may be in how their name ends.

For instance Chinese names and Korean names frequently end in consonants. Chen, Kim etc.

I got to the point where I could tell Chinese, Japanese and Korean just by listening to someone talk. Japanese almost sing their sentences, They talk slower and they do pronounce each part of a word. Chinese are choppier in how they speak and Koreans sound as if they are mad at one another.

Sagae (Sagae-shi) is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

I think that it would be pronounced: sah - gah - eh. My opinion is a Japanese person would never pronounce an 'e' as 'ay'. Nihongo o hanasemasen, but I have listened to it a lot.

Fond memories of these and many other countries.

Jon

In my mind, I've said "sag-eh", knowing it was wrong but I've said it to myself too long now to change.

I have been styling it out as Su-guy.. I read somewhere it was pronounced like some-guy .. so thats the way I have been butchering it.

I think everyone would know what you were referring to so it really doesn't matter which pronunciation is used.

Hey, just wondering. Sorry I brought it up.

Don B.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 19:42

Hey Don, stop trying to spoil our fun.

Meh... : P

Don B.

I had a tendancy to pronounce it as if it were latin as mentioned above, albeit in my head as I don't have any one to discuss hostas with verbally :( lol

Denis

I learned how to pronounce it correctly two years ago..(.after also using Sah-gai for years). ... went on a site of a Japanese woman growing hostas that showed how to pronounce Japanese hosta names. Yes, they do pronounce every letter of a word. Sah-gah-ay is how she pronounced it.

If we truly are hosta lovers, then the least we can do is pronounce the names correctly, you know?

Sah-GAY is how my late hosta friend pronounced it ⦠said it had somewhat of a Japanese lilt to it ⦠he served over there in the military, thot he should know.

And we are NOT being racist â¦

dave

I recall reading it was pronounced using three syllables but I could never bring myself to make three syllables out of what appears to be two. So yes, I've been calling it SAH-Gay and will likely continue to do so.

Don, thanks so much for sharing your experience in Japan. That was fun reading.

Dave, who the hell said anything about being racist?? I thought we were talking about a hosta pronunciation. Jeez...

Don B.

I mispronounced plantaginea for two years til I heard Bob Solberg on video say it (I assume) correctly. Don't think I was being racist there...

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 22:04

"I had a tendancy to pronounce it as if it were latin as mentioned above, albeit in my head as I don't have any one to discuss hostas with verbally"

LOL Boy oh boy, Denis, me either, for the most part... : (

My neighbor, yes, but he says "Krossa Wriggle" and "Wriggle Stannard" so I don't freaking know...

Don B.

yeah, don-san

next thing i know, you will be saying you roasted today.

I usually just call it AWESOME !

Lol Don, wriggle!

As for plantaginea would I be right to pronounce it kinda like Plantagenet ? they were pretty wriggle too!

Denis

in my vocab.. there is no third sylla ble ... it is interesting on national tours.. to hear and watch southern folk.. try to wrap their tongues around latin ... or in this case .. Japanese ...

ken

Wasn't to long ago it just would have been a tall bluish-green one with a yellow edge. One that the rabbits ate down one year and the cut worms got to this year...