Al Ki-da or Al Kay-da

[Spindrift]

I've noticed in the news that some people pronounce Al Qaeda as "Al Ki-da" while some say "Al Kay-da" and others says "Al Kay-ee-Da".

Is there some subtle dissing being done here? It just seems like "Al Kay-da" is used mostly by the Right. I don't have any proof of that, it's just an observation that whenever anyone says "Al Kay-da" they are a member of the Bush administration or at least a Republican.

Or is this just because of the problem of translating Arabic to English and it's open to interpretation?

I remember hearing that Bush Sr. always said "Sad-um" instead of "Sa-dom" for Saddam and the it was supposed to be an insult. Never found out if that was true or not.

 

[HarryKeogh]

Here's some interesting info on its pronounciation from Wikipedia

Personally, I'd prefer people to pronounce it "Al Ki-da" instead of "Al Kay-da" since the latter sounds too much like my last name (Almeyda).

 

[Cleon]

The word has two sounds that don't really correspond to any you would find in English; the ayn, which is where the "i" sound comes from (in this case), and the qaf, a deep gutteral "k" sound which is commonly spelled in English as a Q.

The closest accurate English pronunciation would be "Al Ki-da," with a long "i" as in "bite."


English speakers often form their pronunciation of foreign words based on their English spellings, which are often inaccurate. Thus, Al-Qaeda becomes "Al Kay-da," Iraq (Ee-rawq, actually in Arabic it's "Al-Iraq") becomes "Ay-rack," and Gorbachev (Горбачёв) is often pronounced as ending with "ev" rather than "off," which is how it is pronounced in Russian.

 

[Cain]

Al-Kay-da sounds more nefarious, contains more emotional truth, so of course the Left refuses to use it. The Right also has a greater tendency to pronounce "Islam" as "Islum," and calling out the "Moslems." But enough of this nonsense, let's go bomb Eye-ran like we did Eye-raq.

 

[zooterkin]

In the UK, it's normally pronounced something like "Al Ky Ee Da" (although the 'ee' is fairly short).

 

[Spindrift]

Al-Kay-da sounds more nefarious, contains more emotional truth, so of course the Left refuses to use it. The Right also has a greater tendency to pronounce "Islam" as "Islum," and calling out the "Moslems." But enough of this nonsense, let's go bomb Eye-ran like we did Eye-raq.

I disagree, that Al-Kay-da sounds more nefarious. It sounds sillier and like the user doesn't care about proper pronunication of Ay-Rab words, so of course the Right uses it.

 

[stanleywinthrop]

I disagree, that Al-Kay-da sounds more nefarious. It sounds sillier and like the user doesn't care about proper pronunication of Ay-Rab words, so of course the Right uses it.

Quite correct. You didn't get the NWO memo on pronunciation?

 

[TragicMonkey]

Actually, it's one of those upper-class English names that is pronounced utterly differently from how it's spelled. That way the nobs can tell who is and who isn't one of themselves.

The correct pronunciation is "Featherstone-ffoophingsmythe".

 

[prewitt81]

Harland Williams prefers "Al-kway-da". It sounds less threatening and more like a breakfast cereal that way.

 

[Pardalis]

This thread title somehow reminds me of a Beatles song...

 

[TragicMonkey]

Harland Williams prefers "Al-kway-da". It sounds less threatening and more like a breakfast cereal that way.

Now with multicolored Jihad-o's! Green crescents, red dynamite, purple guns, and blue Stars-of-David! Wait, how did that get in there? Zionist Conspiracy!

The only bad part about this tasty part of a complete breakfast is that if the bits happen to float into an arrangement that spells out the name of God, you can't eat them.

 

[Cain]

I disagree, that Al-Kay-da sounds more nefarious. It sounds sillier and like the user doesn't care about proper pronunication of Ay-Rab words, so of course the Right uses it.

Well that's a matter of your wrong opinion. Real Americans know better.

 

[Spindrift]

Well that's a matter of your wrong opinion. Real Americans know better.

Real Americans? I prefer my Americans to be artificial, that's the American Way!

This message brought to you by Monsanto, Dupont, NutraSweet and the Cosmetic Surgery Council.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Let's call the whole thing off.

 

[dementedcactus]

Let's call the whole thing off.

Beat me too it

 

[Big Les]

Actually, it's one of those upper-class English names that is pronounced utterly differently from how it's spelled. That way the nobs can tell who is and who isn't one of themselves.

The correct pronunciation is "Featherstone-ffoophingsmythe".

I thought it was pronounced "Luxury-Yacht"?

 

[Tailgater]

I kind of like "Ill Killya".

 

[Pardalis]

I kind of like "Ill Killya".

Good one.