=Note.=— _a_ is pronounced as _a_ in f_a_ther.
_ai_ “ _i_ in _i_dle.
_i_ “ _e_ in f_ee_t,
_u_ “ _ou_, or as _ue_ in cl_ue_.
_ei_ or _e_ “ _a_ in f_a_te.
Example: _taï-i_ is pronounced “_ti-ēē_.”
To follow French pronunciation is a tolerably safe guide.
The system under which the Japanese name their deck officers is
extremely simple. They are divided into three groups—big, medium, and
little. For each of the three grades in these groups there are three
similar prefixes—_taï_-, _tchū_-,[29] and _shŏ_-. The affix is the same
for all grades in each group, -_shō_ for the big, -_sá_ for the medium,
and -_i_ for the lowest.
[29] Might also be transliterated “su,” “s” having the pronunciation of
“tch” here.