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- Topic: Arabic >
- "روزا مِن أَمريكا."
19 Comments
I agree, and it feels strange to translate names when the Arabic says "Rûzâ" (well, the audio actually has a tanwîn as well, but that is more due to the computerized text to sound thing, I guess... "Ruuuzan", reading the last alif as if it was an accusative ending).
Can someone please explain to me how Hamza works over the Alef? Per google & wikipedia its a "glottal stop." That doesnt really help me out much. Can someone explain that in plain English? (Pardon the pun)
15
It's where your breath stops for a moment before pronouncing a vowel, e.g. when you say the word 'apple', the release of air to create the 'a' is a glottal stop. The Cockney accent uses the glottal stop instead of a 't', like in 'bo''le' or 'wa'er'.
Americans use it, too, in words like 'button' and 'mountain' where the /t/ becomes a glottal stop. Also in some gerunds like "putting" as in "puttin' up with". You can also sometimes hear it between words in an expression like "set in his ways" , where that /t/ too becomes glottalized.
- 295
America is a form of ethnocentricism. We prefer nowadays to use either the United States of America or the US. Canada and the US are in North America. Then you have all the countries in South America and in Central America. To use ''America'' alone means any country in all 3 Americas. It is important to show respect for the countries of the 3 Americas and not assume that all comes from the United States of America or from the US. Thank you.
Arabs say 'Imreeka', Iranians say 'Emrikaa'. Americans tend to say 'the US' or 'the States'. But keep in mind that Mexico's official name is Los Estados Unidos de Mexico, so saying the US doesn't necessarily narrow it down, either.
I understand and sympathize with your point, but I think you're fighting a losing battle. Ultimately, you can't legislate how people talk.
I think it's just because Duo didn't want to teach a hard word like الولايات المتحدة الامريكية for US
Thank you for pointing this out. I also pointed it out in DL in a couple places. Todos somos americanos.
Is any one else finding it impossible to click on some of the words? Using duo on android.
