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Posted

Notice the pronunciation the host uses:  MOOSE-leem, (Muslim), the way a sympathiser would say it.

 

I recommend the more traditional Western pronunciation:  MOZZ-lem, (Moslem), or else Mahometan.

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Posted

Notice the pronunciation the host uses:  MOOSE-leem, (Muslim), the way a sympathiser would say it.

 

I recommend the more traditional Western pronunciation:  MOZZ-lem, (Moslem), or else Mahometan.

if by sympathizer you mean "speaker of Arabic", then yes that's how a sympathizer pronounces it.

Posted

Do you recommend calling Moscow, Moskva?

 

I sometimes get good cultural acceptance brownie points for calling foreign cities out in their native pronunciation when people from those cities are present, especially Shanghai, Budapesht, and Barthelona... make sure you get it right so it's not seen as mockery instead of honor.

Posted

Do you recommend calling Moscow, Moskva?

Yes, if that's what they call it there. I've never liked giving a place a different name than what it's called locally, but that's two different words with different pronunciations and a different topic. You're just intentionally mispronouncing (to mock presumably). There are enough bad ideas in religion that we don't need to stoop to that level to find something to criticize.

Posted

Yes, if that's what they call it there. I've never liked giving a place a different name than what it's called locally, but that's two different words with different pronunciations and a different topic. You're just intentionally mispronouncing (to mock presumably). There are enough bad ideas in religion that we don't need to stoop to that level to find something to criticize.

 

I'm not mispronouncing Moslem, nor am I mocking Islam by doing so.  I am preserving a miniscule piece of my heritage.

 

In fact, I remember one High School history class, where a Moslem classmate, true to form, complained to the teacher about the teacher's writing of the word "M-u-s-l-i-m" on the blackboard, instead of the classmate's preferred spelling "M-o-s-l-e-m".

Posted

I'm not mispronouncing Moslem, nor am I mocking Islam by doing so.  I am preserving a miniscule piece of my heritage.

 

In fact, I remember one High School history class, where a Moslem classmate, true to form, complained to the teacher about the teacher's writing of the word "M-u-s-l-i-m" on the blackboard, instead of the classmate's preferred spelling "M-o-s-l-e-m".

He was grammatically incorrect according to Modern Standard Arabic

Posted

And why should Modern Standard English be held accountable to foreign tongues?

I would still reasonably call your "Moslem" classmate whatever they ask to be called.

If I meet some guy and he says "call me Jack" I'm not going to call him Jock, that would be rude. My point is that the standard pronunciation is more "moose" than "maws" and there are linguistic rules which explain why.

Posted

I would still reasonably call your "Moslem" classmate whatever they ask to be called.

If I meet some guy and he says "call me Jack" I'm not going to call him Jock, that would be rude. My point is that the standard pronunciation is more "moose" than "maws" and there are linguistic rules which explain why.

And if you meet someone who asked you to call them God? Or how about Nigger? Or a Nazi when you know they aren't?

 

I'm not saying Moslem is the equivelant to any of these, but your analogy that you should use any name requsted is flawed.

 

As it isn't a name in this case, but a label, falling back on the common English Word Muslim is reasonable.

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Posted

And why should Modern Standard English be held accountable to foreign tongues?

 

The French may assiduously defend their language from change, but English is partly successful because of how adaptable and broad it has become.

 

In the meantime, French has changed from being the language of diplomacy and travel to English in just a couple of centuries.

  • Upvote 1
Posted

And if you meet someone who asked you to call them God? Or how about Nigger? Or a Nazi when you know they aren't?

 

I'm not saying Moslem is the equivelant to any of these, but your analogy that you should use any name requsted is flawed.

 

As it isn't a name in this case, but a label, falling back on the common English Word Muslim is reasonable.

No, that would not be reasonable. I'm just talking about politeness. If someone says "call me Steff" and you call him "Steve" you are just a jerk.

Posted

And if you meet someone who asked you to call them God? Or how about Nigger? Or a Nazi when you know they aren't?

 

I'm not saying Moslem is the equivelant to any of these, but your analogy that you should use any name requsted is flawed.

 

As it isn't a name in this case, but a label, falling back on the common English Word Muslim is reasonable.

 

Made my point better than I could have.  If people come to America they should not be surprised if Americans speak with American accents.  EYE-rak, EHY-rab, CAT-sup, and so on.

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