néw yórk néw yórk
By Diogenes ( articles ) | Dec 24, 2009
Odd. The locale generally known to the anglophone world as Guantanamo now appears in the New York Times as Guantánamo. Is the added accent, one wonders, intended as a pronunciation aid to readers? Is it meant to disambiguate the site of the U.S. military installation from other Latin American cities named Guanta-NA-mo? Or is it a sly fashion statement, like a scarf worn on return from a visit abroad, indicating that the editors are, politically speaking, more cosmopolitan than thou?
The base in question, in case you missed the discussion on NPR, is located in Cúba.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: Chestertonian -
Dec. 24, 2009 6:20 PM ET USA
I prefer Rush Limbaugh's name for the locale, based on the good living conditions provided for the detainees: Club Gitmo.
-
Posted by: Gil125 -
Dec. 24, 2009 3:08 PM ET USA
This is, of course, the same shmatah* that refers to "Al Quaeda in Mesopotamia", which it hasn't been since the Persian conquest---in the early centuries since Christ---at least. *For non-Yiddish speakers, that means rag.
