What's in a Name?

I was flipping through the cable news channels the other night, and there were several segments on developments in Iraq.  I found myself getting irritated, then angry:  Why, five years after occupying a country, do we still not know how to pronounce its name?

Many television hosts, commentators, even Congresspeople seem to have a problem correctly enunciating the name of the country America occupies.  Whether you think it is the “central front on the war on terror” or “Bush’s misadventure” the fact of the matter is that there over 100,000 American troops fighting and dying in a Middle Eastern country whose name many of their leaders clumsily mispronounce. 

Since September 11, 2001 there has been plenty of coverage of the lack of Arabic speakers in the US government, the lack of historical understanding of Middle Eastern history and a certain US arrogance when it comes to dealing with other cultures and societies – even those that American forces are occupying.  Yet nation-building—a perilous enterprise at the best of times—is made incredibly difficult without sufficient familiarity with the distinct history, culture and people of the country we seek to transform.  Five years in Iraq and seven in Afghanistan have led to many improvements in our collective knowledge of these two countries, yet still we fail in the simplest regard—pronouncing Iraq correctly.

Language and how we use it illustrates much about the speaker’s perspectives on a situation or issue.  And it demonstrates a profound disrespect or ignorance (I’m not sure which is worse) to incessantly mispronounce a country’s name.  For political leaders or so-called experts to do so with a country like Iraq – whose state of affairs is so intimately tied to America’s own politics and future – is troubling.  To continue to do so five years since invading the country is inexcusable.    

So before we complain about the need for more Arabic linguists in the State Department, or expanding America’s civilian reconstruction capabilities, let’s start with starting far simpler: Getting the name right. 

“ee-Raq.”  Not “I-rak.”  Or to put it in terms the modern American can relate to:  Think “e-Bay,” not “i-Tunes.”

Comments

[TB]

Crazier still are the ways we mangle Asian countries. We call Zhōngguó "China" and Nippon "Japan." But maybe it's fair play. People call England a wide range of things, from Inglês, to Igirisu, Yīngguó, Eikoku, Yeongguk, Liánhéwángguó and Anh Quốc.

But your argument seems to be that localization, which everyone everywhere does, all throughout history, is suddenly unacceptable?

We'll include that with essays against sneezing, dancing and spoons in a new book, "Crazy Rants Against Common Practices That Have Gone on Forever and Will Never Change."

[Snoop-Diggity-DANG-Dawg]

Hey, I know! Why don't we start spelling geographic places the same way they're spelled by their local population! We can mix Japanese kanji and Russian cyrillic script with German umlauts!

That way, we won't be arrogant anymore and noone will be offended!