Talk:Viharn Sien

Name
Hi Paul, I have no idea why you changed the page name by doing this

Viharnra Sien is a very strange spelling? Viharnra Sien is the official name along with Anek Kusala Sala. Viharn Sien is widely used by Thai people and doesn't make it right. It is not correct. Please check the picture I edited yesterday and the official name of the monastery. Thanks Meow2021 (talk) 04:00, 18 May 2021 (UTC)

(Originally posted at my talk page.) --Paul_012 (talk) 12:59, 18 May 2021 (UTC)


 * While the preferred spelling of a place's name is usually evident from signage and common usage, this isn't always the case. Being based in Pattaya, you're probably familiar with the street that's often variably spelled as Phra Tamnak and Pratumnak. Even the city itself has been spelled as Phatthaya (following the Royal Thai General System of Transcription) in addition to Pattaya, in officially commissioned signs nonetheless. What I'm saying is that while there's a big sign at the front of the place that says "Viharnra Sien", it's hard to be sure that this is actually the intended "official" spelling, and not a typo that somehow made its way into the sign. The place doesn't have an official English-language online presence that could help verify this, and other uses appear contradictory. The visitor tickets they issue, for example, actually have the name as "VIHARASIEN". To me it's quite obvious that "Viharnra Sien" was a mistake, stemming from an attempt to follow the Pali/Sanskrit spelling vihara that somehow got mixed up with the anglicized Thai term viharn, leading to the amalgamation viharna, which reflects neither the root word nor the Thai pronunciation. Also, Wikipedia doesn't always follow official names, but does so only when they are actually in widespread use (see WP:Official names for details). The fact that more sources use Viharn Sien than Viharnra lends credence to the former being the commonly accepted name most suitable as the article title, in my opinion. --Paul_012 (talk) 12:59, 18 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Thank you Paul for your feedback. I thought Wikipedia was respected based on facts. Since the name on the museum doesn't count any more than what people are referring to, I think we'll stick with your explanation instead. Regards Meow2021 (talk) 14:55, 18 May 2021 (UTC)