Categories: uncategorized
Date: 19 October 2005 11:25:38
At least that is how the emirate is pronounced in Arabic - أبوظبي. None of this Abu Dhabi business.
It is interesting, to me at least, how various city names and country names are Anglicised, for example Cologne (Köln) and Burgundy (Bourgogne). And how they may change: Beijing -> Peking and Bombay -> Mumbai for instance, when (if) we decided to better reflect the native pronunciation.
I remember talking to a French colleague about Burgundy once, and he had no idea where I meant! My French being practically non-existent, I couldn't recall what it was in French. I drew a map, described it -- and the wine!: and still Burgundy was a mystery. It probably owed a great deal to my poor cartography and explanatory skills. We eventually got there.
The Arabic continues at a slow, if not steady, pace. I am actually enjoying the homework, particularly the "Writing" section of the DVD where a professor who is also a calligrapher demonstrates how to write the letters. He truly has a wonderful script and it is fascinating to watch. As well as being a great assistance.