EA CO AS From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 12595 posts, RR: 64 Posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 3155 times:
QATAR
Just about all the major news outlets have people reporting from there...and yet there doesn't seem to be any clear consensus on how the name is pronounced!
The general info is easy:
A country of eastern Arabia on a peninsula in the southwest Persian Gulf. A traditional monarchy, it was under British protection from 1916 until 1971, when it became independent. Oil was first produced commercially in 1949, and its production still dominates Qatar's economy. Ethnic Qataris, Arabs of the Wahhabi sect, make up a quarter of the population, with the rest being immigrants and guest workers primarily from other Muslim countries. Doha is the capital and the largest city. Population: 540,000.
But how the heck do you say the name? I've heard all of the following from various news outlets:
/kuh-tahr/
/guh-tahr/
/kuh-tur/
/guh-tur/
/gay-tahr/
/kay-tahr/
/kay-tur/
/gay-tur/
/kway-tahr/
/kwuh-tahr/
Everyone seemed to be on the same page (kuh-tahr) until a few months ago, and suddenly all sorts of weird pronunciations started popping up.
So does anyone know the reason for the various pronunciations? Or which one is technically correct?
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
JetService From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4798 posts, RR: 13 Reply 3, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3114 times:
I always pronounced it kay-TAR, but Fox pronounces it 'kotter' (as 'Welcome Back, Kotter'). Drives me nuts!
EA CO AS From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 12595 posts, RR: 64 Reply 4, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3111 times:
For some reason, the ones I hear most from MSNBC, Fox News and CNN are "gutter" or "cutter," but again it doesn't really seem like anyone truly knows for certain how it's supposed to be said!
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
EA CO AS From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 12595 posts, RR: 64 Reply 7, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 3092 times:
'Kotter' is the correct way to pronounce it.
As in "...welcome back, welcome back, welcome baaaaaack..." ?
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
Kaitakfan From United States of America, joined Oct 1999, 1586 posts, RR: 7 Reply 9, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 3079 times:
Well from a friend who lives in Doha, he says it is pronounced Ka-Tar. I think I will go with what he says.
"and now lets go to Matt Lauer in Gutter"
"live from Cutter, our Five Fifty KFYI correspondant is standing by"
I laugh everytime hearing the many ways people here try to pronounce it!
Hepkat From Austria, joined Aug 2000, 2341 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 3067 times:
From what I know about Arabic words, the stress falls on the last syllable in the word, as in the French language. Therefore, the word should be pronounced "ka-TAR", and not "CUTter", as I've been hearing from American reporters.
Singapore_Air From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2000, 13711 posts, RR: 21 Reply 11, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 3064 times:
FlyVirgin744 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 1313 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 3053 times:
My aunt is stationed in Qatar, shes says it cut-er said very strictly and forceful.
Sometimes I go about in pity for myself and all the while a great wind carries me across the sky.
QatarAirways From Qatar, joined Sep 2008, 0 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 3028 times:
Hello Everyone,
Since colonial times the british used to say Qatar close to how you pronounce Guitar and that pronounciation has stuck ever since. The new pronounciation from the American media happened after a Qatari ambassador was asked about the correct way to pronounce Qatar. Neither the old or the new pronounciations are correct. It is hard to explain, the best thing to do is maybe ask an Arab to pronounce it to you.
TWFirst,
"Umm, probably not as in "...welcome back..." etc., as I seriously doubt there are any Jewish high school teachers there"
Actually there are many jews living an working in Qatar, the teachers that I know off is a female british gym teacher, and a british geography teacher. Both are jewish and teach or at least used to teach in Qatar.
Continental From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 5476 posts, RR: 20 Reply 15, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2997 times:
You people read my mind. I was going to post on this, I was contemplating about if before. I though it was Qwatar, but some are saying CUTTER, which I think is wrong. I thin KATAR sounds right.
FlyVirgin744 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 1313 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (10 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 2980 times:
Actually there are many jews living an working in Qatar, the teachers that I know off is a female british gym teacher, and a british geography teacher. Both are jewish and teach or at least used to teach in Qatar.
I also believe Qatar was the only Arab country to send delegation to the funeral of the Israeli tourism minister, Rehavam Ze'evi. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.
Sometimes I go about in pity for myself and all the while a great wind carries me across the sky.
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