Tanto or Tonto?

FivePointOhh · Jul 3, 2003

OK, what is the correct pronunciation of the word TANTO?

I have always thought it was pronounced 'tanto' as it is spelled, not 'Tonto', the Lone Rangers companion.

Anybody know for sure? I have even heard knife dealers pronounce it both ways . Very confusing to the novice knife knuts and to me too.

JFrame · Jul 3, 2003

The Japanese would pronounce "tanto" the way one would address the Lone Ranger's trusted kimo-sabay...

crosman177 · Jul 3, 2003

Your thinking of tan toe eh.

FivePointOhh · Jul 3, 2003

OK, so I guess I was wrong. I sit corrected. Tanto is prononced Tonto.

Morgoth412 · Jul 3, 2003

I learned something new today!...

-Kevin

nozh2002 · Jul 3, 2003

Does Tonto means stupid in Spanish? I remember my friend from bolivia was using it in this meaning?
Thanks, Vassili.

Mr.BadExample · Jul 3, 2003

Originally posted by nozh2002
Does Tonto means stupid in Spanish? I remember my friend from bolivia was using it in this meaning?
Thanks, Vassili.

Yes, it does.

Is it me, or does Lynn Thompson pronounce "tanto" kinda funny in the More Proof video?

I always thought it was tahn-to, not tan-toe?

Robert Marotz · Jul 3, 2003

Yep it's tahn-toh in Japanese.

However, when it comes to Americanized non-traditional-style pieces, I think that the tan-toe pronunciation works just fine, and even serves to identify it more accurately once in a while

Most people don't care terribly much about pronunciation...if you hear how some people butcher the words "samurai" or "katana" or "hamon," you can either be entertained, get really anal about it, or just let it go.

Don Luis · Jul 3, 2003

Originally posted by nozh2002
Does Tonto means stupid in Spanish? I remember my friend from bolivia was using it in this meaning?
Thanks, Vassili.

Here in Mexico when they showed the Lone Ranger (El Llanero Solitario) his indian friend was called Toro (Bull). Tonto just wasn´t apropriate.

ZENGHOST · Jul 3, 2003

There was this long discussion on this very same thing, but I'll be damned if I can find it. I was curious to see what I said in the other one.

ichor · Jul 4, 2003

Originally posted by Robert Marotz

Most people don't care terribly much about pronunciation...if you hear how some people butcher the words "samurai" or "katana" or "hamon," you can either be entertained, get really anal about it, or just let it go.

Is that like "hamon" eggs?

driveljay · Jul 4, 2003

just posted at the 'other' forum Five...feeling mis-informed by Mr. V
and now I check posts here and see that I may not be...oh yeah..

tonyccw · Jul 4, 2003

Originally posted by Robert Marotz
Yep it's tahn-toh in Japanese.

The correct pronounciation is the word "tahn" in the fourth tone, which is a high to low tone.

Originally posted by Robert Marotz
Most people don't care terribly much about pronunciation...if you hear how some people butcher the words "samurai" or "katana" or "hamon," you can either be entertained, get really anal about it, or just let it go.

Oh, from the Asian perspective, it's highly entertaining when we hear you try and pronounce words with muscles that you've never used in most Western language. Kinda like a payback for all those silly Asian "r's" and "l's" jokes...

Edited for spelling.

Rosh · Jul 4, 2003

Originally posted by nozh2002
Does Tonto means stupid in Spanish? I remember my friend from bolivia was using it in this meaning?
Thanks, Vassili.

Kind of... but a more accurate word for translation would be "Dumb".

Stupid = Estupido; wich is a more serious insult.

---Rogelio.

ichor · Jul 4, 2003

Originally posted by Rosh
Kind of... but a more accurate word for translation would be "Dumb".

Stupid = Estupido; wich is a more serious insult.

---Rogelio.

Well.....what would you call someone who, every time the Lone Ranger said, "Tonto. You go into town and see what you can find out."

So, while the Lone Ranger is drinking coffee and eating jerky and Moose Pemmican, at the comfortable little campsite among the fake gray boulders, and good ol' Silver, is lazing around eating grass, Tonto and Scout go into the hot, dusty town. Somehow, while not so successfully skulking around trying pick up some shread of info Kemosabi is looking for, (I've never figured out what the Lone Ranger thought that Tonto might uncover), he always ends up in the saloon (not a good place for an Indian at the time), and every single time, the bandits beat the snot out of him.

He does this in every episode. Now, do you consider that maybe Tonto was a little slow on the uptake? If you were in his place, would there not come a time when the Lone Ranger said, "Tonto. You go to town", that you would reply, "You go to Hell, Kemosabi"?

I think Tonto was the perfect name for Kemosabi's Indian companion.

tonyccw · Jul 4, 2003

Originally posted by ichor
I think Tonto was the perfect name for Kemosabi's Indian companion.

And what part of this has anything to do with the original question of how to properly pronounce the Japanese style knives, as requested by the person posting the thread?

Since this thread is hopelessly hijacked, let's get something right. For a show from the 50's, that's just about how you figure the writers of the day would treat a character like Tonto. Expecting any level of Political Correctness from that era would be pretty miraculous.

Benjamin Liu · Jul 4, 2003

Could it mean something else in another language? In Arizona we have the Tonto National Forest, and I don't think they'd name it the "Stupid National Forest."

tonyccw · Jul 4, 2003

Originally posted by Benjamin Liu
Could it mean something else in another language? In Arizona we have the Tonto National Forest, and I don't think they'd name it the "Stupid National Forest."

A quick Google search turned uo this little tidbit:

How about Tonto? According to Jim Jewell, there was an Indian storyteller at Kamp Kee-Mo Sah-Bee who would get rowdy when drunk, leading the other Indians to call him "tonto." The commonly told story is that this is Potawatomi for "wild one." Laura Buszard-Welcher, who knows about these things, says not so. Alternative theories are that tonto is Spanish for "fool," or that LR scriptwriter Fran Striker had transmuted the name of a character in an earlier serial, Gobo.

From this site.

Rosh · Jul 5, 2003

Well... "fool" also works for translation of "tonto".

BTW: Do you remember a movie with Jim Carry named: Dumb & Dumber ?. Well, there is a cartoon of that; and here is called "Tonto y Re-Tonto".

Re-Tonto = twice as dumb = dumber.

Back on subject: for the japanese style knife; I also know them as: Tanto.

Man, this is funny stuff !

ichor · Jul 5, 2003

Originally posted by tonyccw
And what part of this has anything to do with the original question of how to properly pronounce the Japanese style knives, as requested by the person posting the thread?

Since this thread is hopelessly hijacked, let's get something right. For a show from the 50's, that's just about how you figure the writers of the day would treat a character like Tonto. Expecting any level of Political Correctness from that era would be pretty miraculous.

We already found out the "correct" pronunciation of Tanto. It was supposed to be amusing, not politically correct. What's your problem? You have no sense of humor? Or, if you have a sense of humor and didn't think it was funny? I'm crushed. Please tell me what your post, "Kinda like a payback for all those silly Asian "r's" and "l's" jokes... " has to do with the original thread. What makes you think that you can make an off topic post that you think is funny and others can't?? I didn't expect sh*t pal, let alone political correctness, which happens to be one of the banes of our society.