What's the name...?
- Thread starter LightFang
- Start date
Perfection
The Great Head.
Burma, always. Myanmar legitimizes thier crappy government,
Ecofarm
Deity
It's quite that simple.
1) The people did not change the name, the junta did. Do you believe the junta exercises the will of the people?
2) Do you call nK a republic? That is, after all, what "they" call themselves.
3) If the junta changed the name of the country to "France", would you call them that?
It's the same name anyway, just based on the oral tradition instead of written form of the word.
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
It doesn't particularly matter; people know what you're talking about with either one.
JtheJackal
Emperor
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2002
- Messages
- 1,521
Should we not call any country its official name just because we don't like their government? I don't believe hating thier government is a good enough reason to call Myanmar Burma.
Its not just politics with these name changes, the BBC still calls Mumbai Bombay.
Its not just politics with these name changes, the BBC still calls Mumbai Bombay.
Perfection
The Great Head.
Nope, they must be both a crapass military coup thingy, and the government responsible for the name change.
I realized I forgot to include my own views.
I call it Burma because I don't like legitimizing their government. I don't agree with the junta. I don't agree with the North Koreans either, but since, you know, they're from Korea, I don't mind them being the DPRK.
I call it Burma because I don't like legitimizing their government. I don't agree with the junta. I don't agree with the North Koreans either, but since, you know, they're from Korea, I don't mind them being the DPRK.
1. No. I was referring to the junta when I said "they". That's why we have names for states, to refer to the states. "Myanmar" = the state and government bounded by the borders of "Myanmar". If that state is corrupt, then "Myanmar" is corrupt. If the people want to refer to themselves as "Burmese", then I'll refer to them as such. Honestly, I'm intellectually lazy about these things, though.
2. I call North Korea such or "the DPRK". I'm too lazy to pronounce it fully usually, and it's not necessary.
3. Well, that name's already taken, so probably not for the sake of clarity. Generally, I go on mnemonic inertia, though, and won't start calling a state by a new name for some time. So, if today Myanmar changed to "Franceland", I'd probably call it that in 5 or 10 years' time, or call it that immediately and laugh as I did so.
Erik Mesoy
Core Tester / Intern
"Before they send you / to an early grave / Alien Beasts / use Burma Shave!"
-Avernum III
-Avernum III
nonconformist
Miserable
It's actually "British Asia"
In which case Iran should be "Persia", Cambodia "Kampuchea" and Zimbabwe "Rhodesia", no?
I call it both Burma and Myanmar. When speaking I say Burma, but in writing I usually use Myanmar.
philippe
FYI, I chase trains.
It's just like the "Zaïre" issue. But once the junta will be toppled "Myanmar" will be a bad memory. 
~Corsair#01~
Deity
It's rather akin to the Bombay/Calcutta issue. When foreign countries insist on changing place names, I see no reason why we should bother to change our language. After all, we don't call Warsaw "Warsawa", Japan "Nihon", Germany "Deutschland" or China "Zhonguo".
RedRalph
Deity
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2007
- Messages
- 20,708
do you still call Beijing Peking?
Yes.
I call Venezia "Venedig", not Venezia or Venice. It's had that name in Swedish for hundreds of years, I don't really see the need to change just because the native Italians call it something different.
Similar threads
