I say Myanmar, you say Burma

[Wilson Gray]

My feeling, too.

-Wilson

On Tue, May 6, 2008 at 1:01 PM, Baker, John <JMB at stradley.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  Poster:       "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
>
> Subject:      Re: I say Myanmar, you say Burma
>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>         Why should our name for a foreign country be determined by that
>  (non-English-speaking) country?  We don't say Espana, or Deutschland, or
>  Nippon.  What's different about Burma/Myanmar?
>
>
>  John Baker
>
>
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
>  Of Joel S. Berson
>  Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 11:38 AM
>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>  Subject: Re: I say Myanmar, you say Burma
>
>  At 5/6/2008 10:49 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>  >Personally, I say "Mallomar," but perhaps that's just me.
>  >
>  >   Because the current government of, er, that place is a military
>  > junta that seized power unlawfully, the U.S. State Department does not
>
>  > recognize either it or the designation "Myanmar."  In U.S.
>  > official circles the nation has always been "Burma."
>
>  How many military juntas that seized power unlawfully has the U.S.
>  State Department quickly recognized (when they were on "our"
>  side)?  After 40 years, I think it's time for the U.S. government to use
>  Myanmar.
>
>  Joel
>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
 -Sam'l Clemens

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