Churchill on Foreign Names and Pronunciation

[Richard Langworth]

In answer to Antoine's request, from Churchill by Himself, Writer and Speaker chapter, pp52-53:

FOREIGN NAMES

 

(Words in Roman are WSC’s. When only a date is given, 

the quotation is from his remarks in the House

of Commons)

 

I refuse to call it El Alamein. Like those asses

who talk about Le Havre. Havre [to rhyme

with carver] the place is to any decent man.

Now this third battle must be called “The

Battle of Egypt.” Harold, see to that at once.

Tell your people henceforward to call it The

Battle of Egypt.

1942, 6 NOVEMBER. (NICOLSON 1907–63, 269.)

In the event, Churchill did use “Alamein” but

refused to countenance “El”.

 

In all correspondence, it would be more convenient

to use the word “Persia” instead of “Iran,”

as otherwise dangerous mistakes may easily

occur through the similarity of Iran and

Iraq.…Formal correspondence with the Persian

Government should of course be conducted in

the form they like.

CIRCA 1942. (WW2 III, 426.)

 

I do not consider that names that have been

familiar for generations in England should be

altered to study the whims of foreigners living

in those parts. Where the name has not particular

significance the local custom should be

followed. However, Constantinople should

never be abandoned, though for stupid people

Istanbul may be written in brackets after it. As

for Angora, long familiar with us through the

Angora cats, I will resist to the utmost of my

power its degradation to Ankara.

…bad luck…always pursues people who

change the names of their cities. Fortune is

rightly malignant to those who break with the

traditions and customs of the past. As long as I

have a word to say in the matter Ankara is

banned, unless in brackets afterwards. If we do

not make a stand we shall in a few weeks be

asked to call Leghorn Livorno, and the BBC

will be pronouncing Paris “Paree.” Foreign

names were made for Englishmen, not

Englishmen for foreign names. I date this

minute from St. George’s Day.

1945, 23 APRIL. (WW2 VI, 642–3.)

WSC to the Foreign Office.

 

It is for me a high honour to receive today the

Charlemagne Prize in this famous German and

European city of Aachen, which some call

Aix-la-Chapelle.

1956, 10 MAY, AACHEN. (UNWRITTEN ALLIANCE, 289.)

Speech on receiving the Charlemagne Prize in

Germany’s westernmost city, bordering the

Low Countries. He was recalling its name

under the Napoleonic First Empire.

 

FOREIGN PRONUNCIATION

 

…I must say, even from the point of view of the

ordinary uses of English, that it is not customary

to quote a term in a foreign language, a

capital town, a geographical place, when there

exists a perfectly well-known English equivalent.

It is usual to say “Paris”—not “Paree.”

1938, 5 MAY.

 

The news which has come from Monty-viddyoh

has been received with thankfulness.…The

pocket battleship Graf Speee…has met her

doom.

1939, 18 DECEMBER.

After the scuttling of the Graf Spee off

Montevideo, Uruguay, on 15 December.

 

Jack, when you cross Europe you land at

Mar-say, spend a night in Lee-on and another

in Par-ee, and, crossing by Callay, eventually

reach Londres. I land at Marsails, spend a

night in Lions, and another in Paris, and come

home to LONDON!

CIRCA 1940. (“CHURCHILL THE

CONVERSATIONALIST,” COLLI˜ BROOKS IN EADE, 247.)

WSC to his friend Jack Seely, who became Lord

Mottistone in 1933.

 

Don’t be so BBC—the place is WALLSHAVEN!

CIRCA 1940. (PAWLE, 68.)

When Captain Pim, who ran WSC’s map room,

pronounced Walshavn as “Varls-harvern”.

 

 

I always thought it was a most unfortunate and

most tiresome thing when both Persia and

Mesopotamia changed their names at about

the same time to two names which were so

much alike—Iran and Iraq. I have endeavoured

myself in the domestic sphere to avoid

such risks [in naming Ministers].

1941, 7 MAY.

 

Sebastapol’s good enough for me, young man.

1945, 13 FEBRUARY, YALTA. (HALLE,

IRREPRESSIBLE, 160.)

After the Yalta conference he was told by a

Russian-speaking RAF officer that arrangements

had been made to fly him home via

“Sevastapol”.

[Antoine Capet]

Dear Richard,

 

Many thanks for this most interesting list.

 

From someone who was born in Havre [to rhyme with carver] !

 

PS : I am entirely in agreement with Churchill.  And I consider that Rheims, Lyons or Marseilles only show that these cities are famous in Britain, like Édimbourg, Cantorbéry or Londres in France. The inhabitants should be proud of this fame abroad!

 

In addition to Angora cat, there is Persian carpet or Bombay Sapphire gin.

 

Also, the Battle of Ieper (which looks like the man suffering from leprosy with some fonts) is now gaining PC currency.

 

And what a wonderfully descriptive name Mesopotamia was! “The country between two rivers” (Tigris and Euphrates) : excellent as an aid to memory!

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[Richard Langworth]

Antoine, I always liked "Mesopotamia." It lent itself nicely to WSC's play on words when things got grim in 1921. He called it "Messpot." Still is, I fear.

I wonder, given Iran's behavior these past 40 years, whether WSC would insist on referring to the Iran regime but the Persian people---as he often did with the Bolsheviks vs. the Russians.......

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