Af?nistan

[BEagle]

Why is it that the BBC has taken to referring to Afghanistan by some strange non-English pronunciation? Every time some PC-appointed newsface with otherwise perfect English mentions the word, it's Af-h-nistan or Af-u-nistan or some similar noise.....

Not a big point, but why do they do it?

Sorry to hear the latest news - RIP.

[Bright-Ling]

Probably gone all bloody American in Eye-Rack fashion. :ugh:

[BEagle]

Where they launch 'sorteeeeees'....

[samuraimatt]

Ahh a thread about the BBC. Not really anything to do with Military Aviation. MODS where are you?

[Two's in]

Mods are all in "Bhaah-Rain" or "Khutter" doing Middle East pronunciation courses for the Beeb.

[QFIhawkman]

Yeah, either there or in "kaaar-bull". :rolleyes:

[Wycombe]

BEags, I think the lady you refer to on tonights Beeb news is Asian (Michelle Hussein) and I guess she says it that way because that's the way it should be pronounced - although I have to confess it did sound a bit odd, as her accent is otherwise nothing other than very English.

While I'm on I think she's quite a looker aswell, sorry :)

[brickhistory]

Where they launch 'sorteeeeees'....

Surely you remember the days past when your own service could do more than a singular?:E

[Gainesy]

Hmm, ouch!

Also note that the neighbourng country is now "Parkistarn".

[PPRuNeUser0139]

Probably gone all bloody American in Eye-Rack fashion.

No, the Beeb makes it Irrark..

Not forgetting "Af-h-nistan" where we're fighting the Talibarn

[RichardIC]

We - don't you mean "the British"?

[TheSmiter]

Anyone see the interview with CAS on the news today, where he lambasted the Govt for their foreign policies and chronic under funding of the Typhoon and those other bothersome bits of the RAF? No? Me neither……………….zzzzzzzzzz.

Right, that’s got samuraimatt off my back. Relevance to Mil aviation established!

Anyway, Beags old chap; believe you may have stumbled upon the successful implementation of a secret BBC memo outlining the requirement by Spangles and other Beeb babes to pronounce place names in the style of the residents of that place. Obviously this grand plan couldn’t be introduced comprehensively as the sophisticated viewing public would have seen right through it. No, I understand it will be brought in gradually, starting with those place names whose ethnic population are of greatest interest to the media and ending up with the Outer Hebrides.

I think it’s a great idea, guaranteed to assist in the seamless integration of our wonderfully diverse society. Well-done BBC!

On a similar note, does anyone think there’s merit in petitioning ‘Aunty’ for a revamp of the News broadcasters? Personally, I’d like to see a return of the full evening dress and presenters called Nigel or Chomondley-Warner, preferably both. Your thoughts?

[gijoe]

The 'gh' in Pashtu is more of a 'rrrraaa' vibrating sound from the back of the throat rather than the 'gh' in though or trough.

So I think the BBC is trying to super PC and say it how people in Helmand Province would say it.

G

[The SSK]

Doesn't irritate me as much as that BBC weatherman who always refers to North of the Border as "Sco'un", now he's started to call South of the Border "Ing".

[Archimedes]

Mishal Husain is a fluent urdu speaker (ISTR that a piece in the Times or the Torygraph revealed that she's bringing her son up in English, Urdu and Russian, which is either going to confuse the little mite or set him up for life linguistically...), and as she seems to be the prime 'culprit' over the pronunciation, I suspect that Wycombe's hypothesis and gijoe's observation pertain here. So in Mishal Husain's case, she says it like that since that's how she's pronounced it since childhood.

[charliegolf]

The farkers might be able to do '-istanese', but they still can't say 'Llanelli'!

They're taking the p$%s.

CG

who like the Murphy's, isn't bitter.

PS

(Sammy the prat- don't dare!)

[microlight AV8R]

CG:

Now look see, you been at them Pot Noodles again, isn't it ?

[Wycombe]

I thought they had Huw Edwards to represent that lot :ok:

[West Coast]

Why left-ten-ent beagle, I believe your on to something here. Jolly good show!

[BEagle]

I'm surprised you guys didn't decide that 'Looo-tenant' was a bit French and change it to something else, along the lines of 'Freedom Fries'?

But you're right - pronouncing 'lieu' as 'left' is a bit daft and is probably a hangover from the Napoleonic Wars or something similar.

I don't think that the 'Af-h-anistan' thing is peculiar to Mrs Hussein - there was an in-theatre (or in-theater) reporter making the same noise last night. And he was what Plod might term an 'IC1 male'.

[West Coast]

Don't get me started on the way to pronounce aluminum properly.

I would think if anyone thought the pronunciation of Lieutenant was a bit too French, it was the British as evidenced by the way you pronounce it.

[gijoe]

Have a look at the link below and you are bound to get a native Afghanistan after a while.
http://www.voanews.com/real/voa/sca/pash/pash1300vb.ram

Pashtu is sometimes pronounced Pakhto depending where the speaker comes from in Afghanistan.

Nice eye candy on this one as well....:ok:

Urdu is not a million miles away from Pashtu...and it's no surprise as the speaking countries are next to each other.
I pity Michelle Hussain's nipper and his/her learning of Russiurduinglissy!

[Mmmmnice]

If I can't say it correctly, does it mean I don't have to go there? Same way I don't have to go if I'm unfit, not jabbed, not current, not aclimatised - or do I just get another exemption? Just hope no-one bu**ers up my landing......

[Roadster280]

I have to back you up on that one, WC. Aluminum was so named for centuries by Brits. Having taken the methods of extraction, refinement and alloying across the pond, its name did not change. Later European physicists and chemists decided to make it uniform and fit in with the other "iums", e.g. Helium, Uranium etc.

But does it really matter? Al2 O3 is understood worldwide, for example.

Same for the BBC really. I'd rather that the standards and expectations of when I was a boy had not changed, but they have. Does it really matter?

[wokkameister]

What we really need is that Guerrin woman popping up to give the Taliban side of the argument , in an unintelligble oirish accent, as paid for by us licence payers. She's been championing hezbollah for years.

[aluminium persuader]

Oi! Stop messing with my name!!!:eek:

aluminIUM p!;)

[boomboy]

Beags, the beeb have being doing this for years, it IMO originally started when overnight David Ginola became Daveeed Jin-ola whilst playing for Spurs. This 'seed' was initially sewn by football focus/MoTD and has obviously spread to other Beeb depts. Not that i've got anything against it, it's just a trait of the modern world!

[boomboy]

Beags, the beeb have being doing this for years, it IMO originally started when overnight David Ginola became Daveeed Jin-ola whilst playing for Spurs. This 'seed' was initially sewn by football focus/MoTD and has obviously spread to other Beeb depts. Not that i've got anything against it, it's just a trait of the modern world!