naming a language

[Straight, H. Stephen]

My impression of this discussion, with some exceptions, is that it reveals that even linguists sometimes fail to inquire about how a given name (or other word, for that matter) is pronounced by speakers of the language from which it comes.  The result is sometimes Anglicization but almost as often IPA-icization (as in the case of Bengali).  I'd be curious to know the story behind the pronunciation of Afghanistan and Pakistan.  What I think I'm hearing now from Barack Obama is front vowels in the first and back vowels in the second.  Can anyone provide a rationale for this pattern or otherwise enlighten us about these two (and Iraq and Iran, too, while you're at it)?

Best.  'Bye.  Steve 

H Stephen Straight, PhD
Binghamton University, State University of New York


-----Original Message-----
From: funknet-bounces at mailman.rice.edu [mailto:funknet-bounces at mailman.rice.edu] On Behalf Of john at research.haifa.ac.il
Sent: Thursday 2 April 2009 11:15
To: Claire Bowern
Cc: Mikael Parkvall; Paul Hopper; Sydney Lamb; funknet at mailman.rice.edu
Subject: Re: [FUNKNET] naming a language

I think the general idea is that if it's native speakers making the
'mistakes', then it's okay and interesting. But if it's people who do it because
they think they know something about the language but they really don't, it's
irritating.

Or am I just rationalizing?
John



Quoting Claire Bowern <clairebowern at gmail.com>:

> I am amused by the general prescriptive feeling that has been evident in
> this discussion from the use of phrases like 'irritating errors'. It's
> language change and language use, people!
> Aren't functional linguists supposed to like this sort of thing?
> Claire
>
>
> -------------
> Claire Bowern
> Department of Linguistics
> Yale University
>




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