Re: new Klingon spelling

Andreas Johansson wrote:

>Quoting "Thomas R. Wier" <trwier@...>:
>
>
>
>>Personally, aside from these issues, I find it disrespectful
>>not to make an effort to pronounce the latter category of terms
>>as it would be in the source language.  It's not "wrong", except
>>insofar as it is "wrong" not to take into consideration other
>>people's cultures as valid just as your own.  I find anglophones
>>to be very insular in this respect.
>>
>>
>
>I've never got why it should be disrespectful, but let's not go down that road.
>
>Instead, I thought I ask what you feel about "quasitranslations". For example,
>the traditional Swedish name of Belarus is _Vitryssland_, which is a perfectly
>transparent compound meaning "White Russia"*. After the place got independent
>in '91, some voices were raised what we should ditch that name and adopt
>_Belarus_ out of "respect". No idea what the Belarussians would have thought
>of it had it been done - likely they hadn't cared much at all - but I know I'd
>be anything but happy if anglophones suddenly replaced "Sweden" with some
>mangling of _Sverige_. What's your view?
>
>
>
Traditionally, English did the same.  Belarus was often simply called
"White Russia".  During the cold war it was Belorussia, and now it's
Belarus.