It seems France has a new diplomatic issue on its hands. The Daily Mail reports:
France's new prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has triggered confusion and embarrassment in Arabic-speaking countries - because his surname sounds like their word for 'penis'.
Newsreaders in Arab nations have swiftly come up with a host of strategies to avoid pronouncing his name correctly.
In French, the name is correctly pronounced 'Eye-ro'.
But certain states are saying his name with an 'h' at the beginning, while in other countries they are saying it as 'Arrow' to avoid uttering the word properly, French daily newspaper France Soir reported.
The French foreign ministry has even been forced to issue 'alternative pronunciations' of his name to avoid embarrassing Arab speakers.
. . .
The French themselves changed the spelling of Russian president Vladimir Putin's name to 'Putine', because it sounded like 'putain' - the French word for prostitute.
There's more at the link.
According to an Indian report, "When she read aloud the [French Prime Minister's] name the day he was elected, a Lebanese TV anchor burst out laughing". I can see how that might spark a flurry of diplomatic damage control!
Peter
4 comments:
I could see how the news anchor bursting out laughing, at a news conference, should have assured he was never invited or allowed to come back to another. The amount of professionalism or lack of it exhibited by him laughing like tat was not only insulting but was enlightening as to whether or not he should be given the privilege again.
Laugh about - sure, but in private not in public when you are supposed to be acting professionally.
All the best,
Glenn B
On the other hand the US has had politicians such as Anthony Weiner and Dick Cheney... those don't even require another language to make the penis reference.
When Mrs. Putin says good night to her husband, does she say, "G'night puddin'"?
gfa
Mikael makes a good point.
English speakers seem to be able to cope with unfortunate appellations that appear to reference genitalia.
How come the Arab world has such difficulties? And why do we pander to them?
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