Re: Rhys Ifans! Welsh fans, another pronunciation pop question

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Cowan" <jcowan@...>

> Ray Brown scripsit:
>
>> We this side of the Pond would just assume /'ajfAnz/ was an Americanism
>> similar to the way we've heard _Iraq_ pronounced "I wrack" and _Iran_
>> pronounced "I ran" in newsreels      :)
>
> I have heard the theory expressed that these mispronunciations began as
> deliberate insults, like [ai't&lj@n] for "Italian", and have spread.
I've heard that theory too.  I've also heard, from a friend expressing
outright contempt, "Sad Damn," for Saddam, with an emphasis on the "damn."
But that could also arise from tendencies to pronunciations like Viet NAM
(to rhyme with "ham").

Sally

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