Talk:Fezzan

From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki

Name spelling

Phezzan seems to be a similar case to the 'star system' / 'starzone' thing — when it's spelt in a strictly Imperial context, it's usually 'Fezzan' (see: DVD subtitles), but sometimes (on FPA monitors, if i remember right) it's 'Phezzan'.

'Fezzan' seems more common, though, if i had to guess. It is also the correct real-world spelling. Should we therefore officially change our spelling to Fezzan?  ♥ kine @ 16:54, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

The correct real-world spelling for what? Hm?

I would advise keeping it as "Phezzan" for a number of reasons. First, that's the spelling CA uses. Second, it's a closer romanization of the Japanese than "Fezzan." Third, it's not "Fezzan" in the Imperial usage, it's "Fezzanland." Which, like "Neue Reich," would be a german term that we would be free to translate. In fact, I would say the "Phezzan" spelling used in FPA maps (if it is, indeed, used in FPA maps) would be the "true" spelling.

I'll look around for FPA-side maps to verify.Canary 19:03, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

Well, i would point out the following in response i suppose:

1. The name is a reference to Fezzan in Libya. The Japanese spelling is identical, and the historical parallels are clear (it served as the only trade route between two empires).

2. The spelling CA use is (as they've confirmed) derived from the LaserDisc subtitles. The LaserDiscs do indeed say 'Phezzan' in the subs — but these references are all changed to 'Fezzan' in the DVDs.

3. I don't see what you mean regarding the romanisation. 'フェ' in romaji is always 'he' or 'fe', never 'phe', which would seem to me to make the DVD closer...?

4. I'm pretty sure 'Fezzan Land' refers explicitly to the government, not to the planet. After it's turned into the Imperial capital, they stop using that term and just start calling it 'Fezzan'. So, although the question of how to translate 'Fezzan Land' might need to be explored in terms of references to the Dominion of Phezzan, i don't think it's applicable to the geographical location.

Lastly — and i think most damningly — i've just gone to check for examples of FPA and Imperial usage of the word, and i think i was actually wrong about what i said above (in my first post).

In episode 042 of the LaserDisc release, when Reinhard is planning the invasion of (F|Ph)ezzan with his bros, the map in their conference room says 'Phezzan'. This is changed to 'Fezzan' in the DVDs. I had mistakenly thought that the Imperial screens always said Fezzan. Seems like they didn't.

Then, to put a fine point on all of this, i found one FPA reference: In episode 040 of the LaserDisc release, when Julian is watching 'The Inviting to History', the star chart shows 'Phezzan Land'. Then, in the DVD release, it's changed to 'Fezzan Land'.

I would say that those two facts alone might make the case for us — seems like they've made a conscious change across the board  ♥ kine @ 20:03, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

フ is between "fu" and "hu"; フェ is between "fe" and "he." To me, that's best romanized with a PH consonant, to indicate that it's a "soft" F sound. Anyway, I've looked through a few episodes, too, and I've seen a few variations of "Fezzan" in the DVDs (both original and remaster) and no variation of "Phezzan."

That being said... do we really have much room for debate here? It'll be a pain in the ass to change the spelling everywhere, but at least the Fezzani content is pretty sparse currently.Canary 20:13, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

Hm, yeah. Personally, despite its 'wrongness', i was kind of fond of the Ph spelling. Oh well. Canon is canon. I will add 'use bot to find and replace all "Phezzan"s' to my ever-growing list of things to do....  ♥ kine @ 20:53, 13 May 2011 (UTC)