How do you spell the name of the current dictator in Libya?

Electric Monk

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:07 AM
Original message

Poll question: How do you spell the name of the current dictator in Libya?

Edited on Wed Feb-23-11 01:49 AM by Electric Monk

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sharesunited

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:12 AM
Response to Original message

1. Seems authoritative:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadaffi

If you're speaking Arabic, swap a Q sound where the G goes.

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muriel_volestrangler

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Thu Feb-24-11 08:25 AM
Response to Reply #1

26. Heh - so authoritative, your 'Gadaffi' spelling in the link gets redirected to 'Gaddafi'

Edited on Thu Feb-24-11 08:27 AM by muriel_volestrangler

Looking at news sources, 'Gaddafi' is most common, with 'Gadafi' second, and 'Qaddafi' third (but that's mostly used by US news sources, while 'Gaddafi' and 'Gadafi' are worldwide).

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donheld

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:13 AM
Response to Original message

2. A.s.s.h.o.l.e

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Tunkamerica

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:14 AM
Response to Original message

3. b o l o g n a

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Betsy Ross

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:19 AM
Response to Original message

4. Daffy Duck

Was among the choices on SNL many, many years ago.

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Electric Monk

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:28 AM
Response to Reply #4

9. I left one slot open when I posted, to fill with the funniest response. You win. nt

Edited on Wed Feb-23-11 01:54 AM by Electric Monk

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provis99

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:19 AM
Response to Original message

5. trick question. They are all valid.

Arabs use Arabic alphabet, not Latin, so there is no direct translation of letters.

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pinboy3niner

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:20 AM
Response to Original message

6. W-A-R C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L

Edited on Wed Feb-23-11 01:23 AM by pinboy3niner

The accepted convention seems now to spell his name, 'Ghadafi.'

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Blue_In_AK

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:22 AM
Response to Original message

7. We can't spell it in English...

This is just like Koran, Qur'an, etc.

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(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Feb-23-11 01:27 AM
Response to Original message

8. If my friend wrote it right.

معمر القذافي‎

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Electric Monk

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:47 AM
Response to Reply #8

10. I hadn't realized my web browser could do that. Those came through.

معمر القذافي‎

I can't read it, but Safari can. I wonder if I could use it as a poll answer?

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pinboy3niner

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Wed Feb-23-11 03:14 AM
Response to Reply #10

17. Yes, it could be a poll answer

For "Who committed the worst crimes against humanity in 2011?"

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Electric Monk

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:50 AM
Response to Reply #8

11. I gave your reply the slot formerly held by "Other".

It had 2 votes. The poll is still young.

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(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Feb-23-11 02:11 AM
Response to Reply #11

14. At least it worked in the

poll. It would not work in the subject line when I tried it. Said it was too long.

Though like a lot of the "other" names. :evilgrin: Could call him Dubya's terrorist buddy boy.

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Ex Lurker

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Wed Feb-23-11 01:52 AM
Response to Original message

12. It's a phonetic spelling. anything that gets the right sound across is ok nt.

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upi402

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Wed Feb-23-11 02:03 AM
Response to Original message

13. shitheel n/t

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JCMach1

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Wed Feb-23-11 02:52 AM
Response to Original message

15. Arabic names and spelling are not regularized in English...

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LooseWilly

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Wed Feb-23-11 03:07 AM
Response to Original message

16. I didn't bother to include the 'al' from your Arabic..

I came up with just "قادافی" ... but that last choice is definitely closest.. (same ق as that in Af'gh'anistan... just transliterates differently depending on the system being used).

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joshcryer

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Wed Feb-23-11 03:17 AM
Response to Original message

18. Dead man.

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Keith Bee

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Wed Feb-23-11 03:21 AM
Response to Original message

19. This is why we need to capture him!

That way, we can get Darth Cheney to waterboard him into telling us the proper spelling! :evilgrin:

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Journeyman

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Wed Feb-23-11 03:55 AM
Response to Original message

20. Short Timer. . .

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JDPriestly

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Wed Feb-23-11 04:05 AM
Response to Original message

21. Any of the English spellings are OK because they are just phonetic

versions of the Arabic. Even if there is an official translation letter by letter, it is the result of arbitrary choice as to what sound equals what letter.

I couldn't even agree with myself on how to spell French words in English so that Americans would pronounce them correctly.

Recently, someone who speaks Arabic explained that the gutteral sound we hear in Arabic is formed in the back of the throat. Most of us Americans are not able to even make that sound and it is part of Gadhafi's name (my favorite spelling for the word).

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old mark

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Wed Feb-23-11 04:13 AM
Response to Original message

22. It really does not matter- it is transliterated from Arabic and there is no really

"correct" spelling in English.

mark

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Electric Monk

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Thu Feb-24-11 02:38 AM
Response to Original message

23. bump

How do YOU spell it?

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JVS

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Thu Feb-24-11 02:40 AM
Response to Original message

24. You had over 40 years to learn it and it looks like a matter of days before he's no longer dictator.

Always with the procrastinating!

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Spider Jerusalem

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Thu Feb-24-11 02:45 AM
Response to Original message

25. The initial consonant sound is somewhere between "k" and "g"

it's a guttural without any real equivalent in English that's probably closest to the "ch" in Scots "loch". So "Gaddafi" (the spelling favoured by most news media here in the UK and elsewhere in the world except the US) and "Qaddafi"/"Qadhafi" (the favoured spelling by US media since the 1980's at least) are both reasonable approximations.

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