Names - Miriya Millia Miria

[Partyman]

Newbie here...

Silly question..

Just wondering if its was just a way people spell the names differently.

Miriya's from Robotech

Millia's from Macross

Miria is just a different way to spell Miriya?

Does anyone know if there is any meaning in the name?

Thanks...

[yellowlightman]

In Japanese, r's and l's are the same sound so Millia and Miria are different romanizations of the same name, Millia seems to be the most commonly used form nowadays.

To me, Miriya sounds pretty damn close to Millia/Miria but thanks to it's Robotech origins it's better if you didn't use that one around these parts.

[Partyman]

thanks for the reply.

I'm trying to get a hold of all the knowledge between R and Macross now.

My question came from looking at a model of the fighter.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/images/mac098big.jpg

But the description was Yamato 1/48 Super VF-1J Millia

thanks for the answer again...

Dan

[Mechamaniac]

It is a question that until recently we thought had been answered.

Miriya was always the Robotech version.

Millia was always the official canon - Macross version.

Then......

Yamato released the 1/48 Millia VF-1J, 1/60 Q-Rau, and CM Miria sets, and proudly printed MIRIA on the boxes!

Confusion ensued.

So, basically, it comes down to what Yellowlightman said, it's an R thing, we wouldn't understand.

[Dat Pinche Haro!]

you forgot the 1/60 VF-1J yamato release which also had Miria...

ahh engrish...don'tcha just love it!

[Ido]

In the hasegawa moedels is spelled Millia, I saw Millia writed on her Vf-1J in some episode too, so I Think its the more correct.

[JB0]

Basically, who cares. As long as the 'y' isn't there, it's good.

[Neova]

The correct pronunciation is

MEE-LEE-A. (silent first L)

There is no "R" sound in the Japanese, even though the Romanji (Romanized Japanese using Roman (English) Alphabet) have the letter R there.

The whole point of having a R and L in Romanji is to differentiate between the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana vowels:

LA LI LU LE LO and RA RI RU RE RO.

The "sound" of R is actually the same as L when coupled with a vowel, so both sets of vowels above is pronounced and sounds exactly the same. Both use the L sounds. Listen to a NATIVE Japanese (non recent learner) speak.

Only the non natives speakers like Spanish and English would pronounce the R.

MIR - REE - A (English/Spanish speaker) vs MEE - LEE A (native Japanese speaker)

Phonetically, Hasegawa is correct. We need a print of how Millia is written in JAPANESE to determine the actual romanized spelling.

[ewilen]

It's ミリア

E.g. http://www.toki-meki.com/shop/category/cha...ther/0965_4.asp

Not to contradict Neova, and I don't know Japanese, but I've been told that the reason for using R vs. L in transliteration was essentially esthetic. For example, a restaurant in my neighborhood is called "Kirala" basically because two r's or two l's at the beginning of successive syllables sounds bad in English.

This site has a note which explains that there's only one sound, regardless of the characters used, and it isn't strictly an R or an L. This is a point that is somewhat obscured by the conventions of transliteration & Romanji.

[yellowlightman]

This site has a note which explains that there's only one sound, regardless of the characters used, and it isn't strictly an R or an L. This is a point that is somewhat obscured by the conventions of transliteration & Romanji.

You're right, the confusion between L's and R's comes when trying to romanize Japanese words.

Millia and Miria are pronounced exactly the same： ミリア.

Using Japanese romanizations of character names gets confusing, since often the Japanese are inconsistent with how they romanize the names often times just misleading since multiple variations will be used within the same series.

Really though guys, both Millia and Miria (and Miriya too, depending on how you pronounce it) are all correct. Just different ways of spelling the same name.

[Opus]

The official spelling according to BW is Milia with one L. The two Ls was started by someone around here.

http://www.macross.co.jp/macross/contents/index.html

[Die, Alien Scum!]

The two Ls was started by someone around here.

That can't be true. In episode 30, Max is shown wearing an apron that reads "Max and Millia", with two "L"s. Of course the English translation on my Animeigo discs refer to that particular episode as "Viva Maria", so I can see why there's confusion on the subject.

[ewilen]

Note that "Viva Maria" refers to Maria, Max and Milia's daughter. Robotech makes it even easier to get confused because the same episode is titled "Viva Miriya" in RT (if I recall correctly).

Anyway, remember that in theory the name Milia is Zentradi. Zentradi gets transliterated in Japanese using katakana, but in the official English spellings it contains both R and L. E.g. "Regult", "Queadluun Rau", "Glaug", etc.

[Die, Alien Scum!]

Note that "Viva Maria" refers to Maria, Max and Milia's daughter. Robotech makes it even easier to get confused because the same episode is titled "Viva Miriya" in RT (if I recall correctly).

Anyway, remember that in theory the name Milia is Zentradi. Zentradi gets transliterated in Japanese using katakana, but in the official English spellings it contains both R and L. E.g. "Regult", "Queadluun Rau", "Glaug", etc.

But shouldn't they have entitled it "Viva Komilia" instead? Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius is how Miria (this is how I spell it, regardless of accuracy) introduces her to the Zentradi.

And to add fuel to the fire, is it Komilia, Komillia, Komiria, or Komiriya? LOL! Just kidding!

[mikeszekely]

Not to contradict Neova, and I don't know Japanese, but I've been told that the reason for using R vs. L in transliteration was essentially esthetic.

I don't mind contradicting him. I studied Japanese for four years with a native speaker, and have had plenty of native Japanese friends including one from Kanagawa, two from Nagoya, and one from Nagano.

Fact: there is no "R" sound as we have in in English, although Neova is correct that Westerners who learn Japanese usually pronounce them as "R"s. However, that does NOT mean that they're pronounced as "L"s either. From the mouth of a native, it's really almost perfectly in the middle between "R" and "L." Try this, if you want. An English "RA" sound is made with the tongue back in the mouth. An English "LA" sound is made with the tip of the tongue slightly past the teeth, against the bottom of the top teeth. A Japanese "RA" is made with the tongue near the top front of the mouth, behind your front teeth.

And for the romanization thing, words that should be written in hiragana or kanji would be written as normal, with the first letter of the sentence or of proper names being written with a capital, the rest lowercase. Words that would be written in katakana may be italicized or written in all capitals, or they may just be written like the rest of the sentence. For example, girlfriend would be written "gaaru furendo." In proper romanization of Japanese, there are no "L"s at all, and certainly not to differentiate between hiragana or katakana.

Now, the thing is, the rules were made up by Westerners, for the convenience of westerners. "L" can turn up when the romanization is done by the Japanese themselves. This could be a personal preference, or just plain Engrish.

In Millia's case, part of the issue at hand is that it's not a Engrish spelling of an English name, or one way of romanizing a Japanese word. It's a totally made up name. In katakana, it's spelled "Mi ri a" because, however Mikimoto envisioned her name to be, "Mi ri a" is the closest you can get with phonetic Japanese. Mikimoto and Big West may have had a different spelling/pronounciation in mind for the official spelling, but I personally know nothing about that. I kind of liked Miria myself, but Millia or Milia seems to be more popular around here.

[mikeszekely]

And to add fuel to the fire, is it Komilia, Komillia, Komiria, or Komiriya? LOL! Just kidding!

You'll solve that mystery when you decide how to spell "Miria." As far as I know, the "Ko" in "Komiria" is the same "ko" whose kanji is "Child." In this case, "Komiria" would be something along the lines of "Miria Jr."

[Keith]

It's "Milia," end of story!

[Roy Fokker]

Note that "Viva Maria" refers to Maria, Max and Milia's daughter. Robotech makes it even easier to get confused because the same episode is titled "Viva Miriya" in RT (if I recall correctly).

To add more fun to this confusion, isn't that child supposed to be Dana?

Well, atleast that's what I could gather from the Sentinels movie (and IIRC, from Robotech as well!)

[Ido]

Note that "Viva Maria" refers to Maria, Max and Milia's daughter. Robotech makes it even easier to get confused because the same episode is titled "Viva Miriya" in RT (if I recall correctly).

To add more fun to this confusion, isn't that child supposed to be Dana?

Well, atleast that's what I could gather from the Sentinels movie (and IIRC, from Robotech as well!)

What's the point? Dana is how is called the max and Milia doughter in robotech, but they didn't translate the title in Viva Dana, probably they got confused (idots...) and thought it was Miria or they just thinked it was better.

M&M doughter is Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius, and that episode is named after her.

THinking about it, probably Keith is right but "Millia" is how it was spelled in the original SDF Macross show.

ps

About Miria on the Yamato Product, didn't they misplelled Guld before too?

[Roy Fokker]

Note that "Viva Maria" refers to Maria, Max and Milia's daughter. Robotech makes it even easier to get confused because the same episode is titled "Viva Miriya" in RT (if I recall correctly).

To add more fun to this confusion, isn't that child supposed to be Dana?

Well, atleast that's what I could gather from the Sentinels movie (and IIRC, from Robotech as well!)

What's the point? Dana is how is called the max and Milia doughter in robotech, but they didn't translate the title in Viva Dana, probably they got confused (idots...) and thought it was Miria or they just thinked it was better.

M&M doughter is Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius, and that episode is named after her.

THinking about it, probably Keith is right but "Millia" is how it was spelled in the original SDF Macross show.

ps

About Miria on the Yamato Product, didn't they misplelled Guld before too?

You maybe right. There might not be any point.

I just thought I'd like to point it out

[mechatek]

Yamato released the 1/48 Millia VF-1J, 1/60 Q-Rau, and CM Miria sets, and proudly printed MIRIA on the boxes!

you forgot the 1/60 VF-1J yamato release which also had Miria...

Also, Bandai used Miria on their release of the 1/55 re-issue. Wouldn't Bandai and Yamato have to clear this with BW? IMHO, I happen to prefer the look of the spelling Miria as opposed to Milia or Millia.

[phuqueue]

Only the non natives speakers like Spanish and English would pronounce the R.

MIR - REE - A (English/Spanish speaker) vs MEE - LEE A (native Japanese speaker)

Actually, the Spanish and Japanese R's are basically the same sound, and they're distinctly different from the English R. The English R, as someone pointed out, is formed with your tongue at the back of your mouth against the velum. The Spanish and Japanese R, as the weblog that was linked pointed out, is the single-tap R that's pronounced by hitting your tongue against the alveolar ridge directly behind your top row of teeth. It's something like trying to pronounce the English L and R simultaneously, but the sound is actually represented in English with the double T or D (as in the Eddy example, or the example that was popular when I learned Spanish phonetics, "pitter-patter"). For an English speaker unfamiliar with Japanese phonetics, the best way to print a pronunciation for "Mi-ri-a," would be, in my opinion, "Mittia." For a Spanish speaker, you really don't have to alter the spelling, as he'll pronounce "Miria" with the same alveolar R that the Japanese use.

[Opus]

The answer to this conundrum is quite simple. A 27th letter .

[Roy Fokker]

LMAO Opus!

[ewilen]

If anyone is still wondering, I think the "r" sound described here is also similar if not identical to that found in certain upper class British and American accents. The American version has all but disappeared, but you can probably find it in wealthy matrons in Marx Brothers movies; as for the British version, it's typically the accent of military officers in any number of war movies, including if I'm not mistaken Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) in Star Wars.

Edited January 3, 2005 by ewilen

[Zentrandude]

The answer to this conundrum is quite simple. A 27th letter .

thats very funny but shouldn't it look like this?