Comments on: Cons Freak Out Over How Obama Pronounces Pakistan

By: Parthenon

Parthenon — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:13:33 +0000

I just listened to a lecture about this sort of thing the other day… according to linguists there isn’t really a correct pronunciation or grammar for anything, there are just different dialects. If you’re communicating, you’re doing the job, as far as they’re concerned. So ‘eye-rak’ is sort of part of the American English dialect, as a replacement for how Arabs say it, ‘ahl ih-rahk,’ with the r having a sort of Spanish-r sound.

This phenomenon reaches all the way into cliche African-American speech patterns, which are actually West African bantu rules of grammar applied to the English Language. If a black person says “I tired,” or “I is tired,” or “I’s tired,” it’s because, like Russian, most West African languages don’t use the ‘to be’ verb.

They got less than nothing.

Seriously. And people are starting to lose their heads. We’ve gone from a few months ago one of the crazy cons (as opposed to the rational ones) on this blog saying Sen. Obama was ‘the closest thing to a socialist we’ve ever had running,’ to that basically being a position if not taken, at least not refuted when it’s spoken in the presence of the opposition ticket.

By: Agora Americana

Agora Americana — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:09:52 +0000

We’re adding this story to our site. Ridiculous!

By: Duros Hussein 62

Duros Hussein 62 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:12:30 +0000

Oh please. Can we have some more drama, maam?

Sure. Head on over to McCain’s place, they’re giving it away.

By: anotherbozo

anotherbozo — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:03:06 +0000

Wonder if Obama pronounces “aunt” like “ant,” i.e., with the majority.
Or like most black peeps, in the original and correct manner.

To-mah-to?

Who the hell cares?

By: Nimrod Gently

Nimrod Gently — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:09:24 +0000

OH SNAP

Go eat an apple, Farris. Those are the green ones. Not the orange ones.

By: SaveFarris

SaveFarris — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:52:31 +0000

Jeez . . . When did everyone become arbiters of speech?

Right around the time George W. Bush started running for office.

By: Nimrod Gently

Nimrod Gently — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:26:12 +0000

If in doubt, deny everything.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:49:36 +0000

Republicans generally consider Obama’s behavior anti-American because of this

Oh please. Can we have some more drama, maam?

By: Bruce Henry

Bruce Henry — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:39:01 +0000

OMG, I had no idea Gen Petraeus was a secret Muslim terrorist, but I just saw video proof!
What connection does the General have to the Weather Underground?

By: icruise

icruise — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:04:47 +0000

This was actually given as one reason why Obama is a “secret Muslim” so yeah, I think some people are freaking out.

By: Tyro

Tyro — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:40:49 +0000

So a few wisecracks is now “freaking out.”?

What makes you think they’re “wisecracks”? Republicans generally consider Obama’s behavior anti-American because of this and are actually quite offended by it. It’s been a wingnut meme for a while. Own it, Jay. Own it.

By: Leota2

Leota2 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:13:48 +0000

Jeez . . . When did everyone become arbiters of speech? Of course, I have to admit Palin drives me mad with her syntax destroying yipping. I suppose we should all get over it and stop being so puerile.

By: jojo

jojo — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:00:47 +0000

Eh, I’m fine with “Pahk-is-tahn,” “ih-rok,” “ih-ron,” and “Tal-ee-bahn,” but “nu-kyoo-lur” still bugs me. I even caught my girlfriend saying it the other day.

And don’t get me started on “eye-raq” or “eye-talian.” Yeesh, it’s like people are trying to sound uneducated.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:38:31 +0000

So a few wisecracks is now “freaking out.”? Okayyyy.

Actually it is annoying and so is his (and McCain) saying Taleebon. Every time they said it I started signing The Banana Boat song to myself.

By: jr

jr — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:11:17 +0000

“why can’t we go back to the days without google and youtube?”-cons

By: ed

ed — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:03:14 +0000

They got less than nothing.