I recall also during the war on Iraq's civilian population on Larry King Live once, the ambassador ot the United Nations representing Iraq was taking phone calls from the US public and one caller kept on calling him by his first name. The ambassador stopped him and insisted that he first get clear that it was not proper to call an ambassador by his first name and that second it was even more proper to refer to him as Mr. Ambassador....Not that I'm that into authority reinforcing appelations....but in that instance I was saying to myself...Right on Mr. Ambasssador, you tell him...
Steve
On Tue, 21 Sep 1999, Doug Henwood wrote:
> I think Newsday had a piece during the Gulf War saying that the CIA
> coached Bush to mispronounce Saddam as a calculated insult.
>
> Doug
>
> Stephen E Philion wrote:
>
> >I speak 4 languages myself, so I can appreciate part of this argument.
> >But, I would hope it doesn't go too far. The guy is a world leader, with
> >whom we are in an undeclared state of perennial war,so we could make an
> >argment that correct pronunication might be a bit more of a high priority,
> >perhaps. But, I'm not sure I buy a 'mispronunciation' = insult argument.
> >One can only learn so many languages (I'd love to learn a few more yet),
> >but one can't avoid making mistaken pronunciations of names in a foreign
> >language. So, overreading of the significance of mistakes can be
> >dismissed for obvious (and in my book) valid reasons.
> >
> >Steve
> >
> >
> >
> > > > > >
> > > I would offer too that it allows the media and western politicians to use
> > > a condensing, first name patronizing tone of voice when they talk
> >about him.
> > > And, according to a friend who speaks Arabic and is a minor expert
> > > on the region, it allows peckerheads like George Bush to mispronounce
> > > 'Saddam' as 'Saad-umm', which is an insult, literally translated
> > > meaning 'shoe shine boy'.
> > >
> > > PC
> > > P Childs This address or: npc at amda.ab.ca
> > > Senior Health Economist
> > > (Health Policy and Economics)
> > > Alberta Medical Association
> > > 12230-106 Avenue
> > > Edmonton, Alberta, T5N 3Z1
> > >
> > > V: (780) 482-2626
> > > F: (780) 482-5445
> > >
>
>