A pronunciation question - Qatar

[Butter]

How do you pronounce Qatar? Like cutter, kuh-tar, or some other way? I learned it one way and hear it on the news another, but I swear during the first Persian Gulf War it was pronounced the way I learned in elementary school (though I could be totally wrong about that and just be mixed up in my memories). How do people from Qatar pronounce it?

[PentecostalMom]

Dh was there as part of an 18-month deployment to the Middle East. It is pronounced K-tar.

[QueenCat]

Dh was there as part of an 18-month deployment to the Middle East. It is pronounced K-tar.

 

This is how a friend of mine, who has lived there off & on throughout her life, pronounces it.

[Um_2_4]

I just listened to the first 30 secs of this video, but he said it correctly at the beginning, not sure why the video is so long to pronounce 1 word :huh: ??

 

Check out this video, some people who live there say it correctly and some "english-ize" it (haha my new made up word of the day):

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57359444-10391709/qatar-easy-for-you-to-say../

[Butter]

So by K-tar do you mean the /k/ sound or like the name of the letter K (kay)?

 

I was taught kuh-tar in school (which if I think about it is like the /k/ sound followed by tar). They tend to say Cutter on the news. And it's no wonder because the way the guy on the video says it is really somewhere in between.

 

(And side note: I love the name of Qatar because it has a q with no u and for some reason I think that looks very beautiful.)

 

ETA: I just watched the whole video instead of the first few seconds and it was actually quite interesting hearing the sounds making up the word. And they seriously announce Wold Cup Soccer locations 10 years ahead of time!?! Wow.

[kiwi mum]

We have been living in Qatar for the past three years and I've heard it pronounced a number of different ways depending on the country of origin of the speaker. Of all the options suggested above, the guy in the video is closest to how the nationals say it, but he is correct, it is very hard for English speakers to pronounce. (Which is why, when people ask where we live, I usually say Doha, because it's easier.)

And yes, the soccer location was announced at the end of 2010.

[QueenCat]

So by K-tar do you mean the /k/ sound or like the name of the letter K (kay)?

 

I was taught kuh-tar in school (which if I think about it is like the /k/ sound followed by tar). They tend to say Cutter on the news. And it's no wonder because the way the guy on the video says it is really somewhere in between.

 

(And side note: I love the name of Qatar because it has a q with no u and for some reason I think that looks very beautiful.)

 

ETA: I just watched the whole video instead of the first few seconds and it was actually quite interesting hearing the sounds making up the word. And they seriously announce Wold Cup Soccer locations 10 years ahead of time!?! Wow.

 

The k sound, not the name of the letter.

[QueenCat]

We have been living in Qatar for the past three years and I've heard it pronounced a number of different ways depending on the country of origin of the speaker. Of all the options suggested above, the guy in the video is closest to how the nationals say it, but he is correct, it is very hard for English speakers to pronounce. (Which is why, when people ask where we live, I usually say Doha, because it's easier.)

And yes, the soccer location was announced at the end of 2010.

 

Another friend of mine lives in the Doha area. She's part of an expat homeschool group... if you're in one, you probably know her.

[kiwi mum]

kay tar

 

I have no clue if that is correct though.

Hee hee, good try, but that is one I have not heard before.

[Crimson Wife]

I've only heard it pronounced like Kotter. That is how Merriam Webster online has it.

[kiwi mum]

 

Another friend of mine lives in the Doha area. She's part of an expat homeschool group... if you're in one, you probably know her.

Yes, there is only one homeschool group for the country, with about 100 families.

[Butter]

 

Whoa, I can't pronounce it like that.

 

Me neither! I tried lol I like how it sounds, though.

[QueenCat]

Yes, there is only one homeschool group for the country, with about 100 families.

 

Looking at your signature, your son is about the same age as her son... She has a younger child too. They moved there a couple of months ago (March, I think). Interesting........... I know she's posted on FB about doing things with the group.

[Laura Corin]

I pronounce it 'CAT-ahr'

 

L

[Dandelion]

Kuh-tar.

[stripe]

I pronounce it with a Qaf, not a Kaf (regular k). Pretty much like the guy in the video Um_2_4 posted.

 

Definitely not "Cutter" or "Gutter."

[Sparkle]

Interesting video! I think Arabic is so hard for a non-native speaker. (jmho) I have a number of Arabic-speaking friends, and I love the sound of the spoken language, but some of those sounds are soo hard to pronounce. My friends have fun trying to teach me though.

[KungFuPanda]

I voted neither. I know how to pronounce it in Arabic, but since the point of language is communication, I say Kuh-TAR in an English sentence. I know it's off, but it's the best way I know of to communicate that country. The trouble is, Qatar has two letters we don't. They have two different K-like letters and two different T-like letters, and to pronounce 'Qatar' you use the more difficult variation of each of those letters. It's only a 3-letter word anyway, so it's more like Qtr.

 

There's not much point in insisting there's a right way because our letters, and most of our voices, just don't make those sounds. You CAN say it, but it just sounds pretentious in the middle of an English sentence and your listener will be distracted and confused.

[Spy Car]

The letter "qaf" is a tough one for many non-Arabic speakers—and frankly, for many Arabs as well. For some odd reason I can pronounce qaf really easily. My Arabic professor (when I did post-graduate work at UCLA) was a very sweet man from Iraq and he used to tell me my qaf was better than his—someting that was surely not true, but he was a sweet guy.

 

The way the man in the video pounces Qatar is close, it is not perfect, but it is close.

 

 

Bill

 

 

[Spy Car]

If an English speaking person says "cutter" but refines the sound of the initial consonant by closing the back of the throat so that initial "hard k" sound instead of being formed in the front of the mouth shifts to back of the mouth (a little further back than where we from our "G" sounds, you can get it.

 

We used to practice the difference between saying "kad" (which is the k sound as in English) and "qad" which shifts the sound to a restricted rear of the throat. Try it.

 

Bill

[Cinder]

I pronounce it something like COT-ur where the O sound is somewhere between a short o and short u and the t is a hard t. I used to say kuh-TAR until a couple years ago when I'd heard it pronounced similarly to how I now say it. I can't remember where I'd heard it but it was a person from that region and I figured they had a better idea how to pronounce Qatar than I did.

[nd293]

I think for the English ear 'Cutter' comes closest in reflecting the 'speed' of the word and emphasis on syllables. K-tar reflects the short, swallowed quality of the 'Q' used in the traditional transliteration, and works as long as you don't emphasize the 'tar' portion. It's one of those words with sounds that English speakers struggle to get right.

 

We lived in Oman, which is another country name that no one gets right in English. It is certainly not Oh-man. Oh-mahn is better, but really the O is closer to a swallowed 'uh' sound.

 

[stripe]

I voted neither. I know how to pronounce it in Arabic, but since the point of language is communication, I say Kuh-TAR in an English sentence. I know it's off, but it's the best way I know of to communicate that country. The trouble is, Qatar has two letters we don't. They have two different K-like letters and two different T-like letters, and to pronounce 'Qatar' you use the more difficult variation of each of those letters. It's only a 3-letter word anyway, so it's more like Qtr.

 

There's not much point in insisting there's a right way because our letters, and most of our voices, just don't make those sounds. You CAN say it, but it just sounds pretentious in the middle of an English sentence and your listener will be distracted and confused.

But just because in Arabic there is no vowel written down, doesn't mean that there is no vowel sound. No one says QTR as some monosyllabic mess. There is a way of writing the vowel sounds, actually, but the point is, they're not written down because native speakers don't need them to pronounce it right.

 

I don't think "Qatar" pronounced correctly or emphasizing the first syllable, is as potentially confusing as saying "Mexico" or "Los Angeles" correctly. But those (mis)pronunciations have been accepted, whereas Qatar still has a chance to have people figure it out. To say we should say "Cutter" or "KuhTAR" because others won't understand us, also assumes the person to whom one is speaking doesn't know how to pronounce Qatar, which may not be the case, and if it is, the person might not know what or where it is anyway. You can't really stoop to the lowest denominator. Isn't this how we end up with idiotic things like ABC World News having a headline of "Riots in Africa" when there were riots on one street in the capital of Liberia?

 

I think it's easier to go from "caw" like the crow sound.

[stripe]

nm

Edited June 7, 2013 by Moderator
No need to take unnecessary offense.

[unsinkable]

 

But just because in Arabic there is no vowel written down, doesn't mean that there is no vowel sound. No one says QTR as some monosyllabic mess. There is a way of writing the vowel sounds, actually, but the point is, they're not written down because native speakers don't need them to pronounce it right.

 

I don't think "Qatar" pronounced correctly or emphasizing the first syllable, is as potentially confusing as saying "Mexico" or "Los Angeles" correctly. But those (mis)pronunciations have been accepted, whereas Qatar still has a chance to have people figure it out. To say we should say "Cutter" or "KuhTAR" because others won't understand us, also assumes the person to whom one is speaking doesn't know how to pronounce Qatar, which may not be the case, and if it is, the person might not know what or where it is anyway. You can't really stoop to the lowest denominator. Isn't this how we end up with idiotic things like ABC World News having a headline of "Riots in Africa" when there were riots on one street in the capital of Liberia?

 

I think it's easier to go from "caw" like the crow sound.

 

 

I am just addressing the lowest common denominator thing.

 

DHs last name is of French origin. When we pronounce it correctly, and if people look at us like, "wh-what?" We say it again, pronouncing it just like it is spelled, and then people nod and act like " why didn't you say that to begin with?"

[Firefly]

When I lived in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia) both ex-pats and native speakers pronounced it "KUH-tar". Just my experience but this was many moons ago, so maybe it's changed over the years.

[stripe]

nm

Edited June 7, 2013 by Moderator
Take a very deep breath, please.

[mom2scouts]

When I was in college, I was friends with a guy from Qatar. His pronunciation was closest to kuh-tar, but it's probably hard for English speakers to pronounce it correctly.

[unsinkable]

I just listened to the first 30 secs of this video, but he said it correctly at the beginning, not sure why the video is so long to pronounce 1 word :huh: ??

 

 

Check out this video, some people who live there say it correctly and some "english-ize" it (haha my new made up word of the day):

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57359444-10391709/qatar-easy-for-you-to-say../

 

 

Is this guy mentioned in the Celebrity crush thread?

[KungFuPanda]

nm

 

What? Now I'm on Team Bill??? He doesn't even put tahini in his hummus!

Edited June 7, 2013 by Moderator
Removed quote from deleted post

[poppy]

Cutter with a hard K from the back of the mouth.

[LaCEmom]

I routinely hear it both ways.....

[Spy Car]

What? Now I'm on Team Bill??? He doesn't even put tahini in his hummus!

 

But I do use "tahineh" ;) :D

 

Bill

[KungFuPanda]

But I do use "tahineh" ;) :D

Bill

 

And bakdonus?

 

Seriously, I thought we had a whole conversation where you insisted it was socially acceptable to leave the tahini out of the hummus. THIS is why I can't have a nemesis on here. I never remember WHO actually said what. Also, if someone changes their profile picture, I just decide they're a new person. I'm visual, people! Pick ONE image/theme and marry it for life!

[Spy Car]

 

 

And bakdonus?

 

Seriously, I thought we had a whole conversation where you insisted it was socially acceptable to leave the tahini out of the hummus. THIS is why I can't have a nemesis on here. I never remember WHO actually said what. Also, if someone changes their profile picture, I just decide they're a new person. I'm visual, people! Pick ONE image/theme and marry it for life!

 

No, I wasn't the take-a-pass on the tahineh person. I have said that some Arab friends I know feel that garlic shouldn't be included in "traditional" hummus. I like it either way.

 

Bill

[Sparkle]

But I do use "tahineh" ;) :D

 

Bill

 

 

Is that like tabouleh? ;)

[Spy Car]

 

 

 

Is that like tabouleh? ;)

 

:lol:

 

Bill

[KungFuPanda]

No, I wasn't the take-a-pass on the tahineh person. I have said that some Arab friends I know feel that garlic shouldn't be included in "traditional" hummus. I like it either way.

Bill

 

GARLIC! OK, right conversation, wrong non-negotiable hummus ingredient.

 

Which reminds me . . . I'm out of tahini. I've put off getting it because the kind I like is at the Persian market and it involves a 30 minute visit with the owners whenever I go. Nobody in the history of the world has been happier to have a store than these guys. I can't just run in and out because it would be too rude . . . and they're just adorable.

[Spy Car]

 

 

GARLIC! OK, right conversation, wrong non-negotiable hummus ingredient.

 

I had a feeling....

 

Bill

[Laurie4b]

Wine, chocolate, cupcakes anyone? :001_smile: Bean dip?

 

I learned that the way I pronounce it is not even close to correct. (kay-tar) Learn something new every day!

[Shahrazad]

OK then...

 

I'm not sure how to transliterate this into English but I'll attempt it anyway. I think the closest I can write it out, without saying it, is:

 

Qatar = Qa (think like the sound a crow makes, caw caw but without a w ending...or maybe like co when it is used in the word 'con') + tar (like the icky black stuff) or ta (like in taught) + r (which you'd kinda roll).

[Shahrazad]

...where you insisted it was socially acceptable to leave the tahini out of the hummus.

 

^Fighting words. I'm pretty sure wars have started in the ME over less.

 

I have said that some Arab friends I know feel that garlic shouldn't be included in "traditional" hummus.

 

I could hazard a guess that those Arab friends are not from the sham and must not know their hummus? My husband would scoff at their mediocre garlic-less hummus and wonder how much more his people must be degraded with such abominations made in the name of their cuisine.

[Rosie_0801]

My husband would scoff at their mediocre garlic-less hummus and wonder how much more his people must be degraded with such abominations made in the name of their cuisine.

 

Your husband sounds like a very sensible person. :laugh:

[Spy Car]

I could hazard a guess that those Arab friends are not from the sham and must not know their hummus? My husband would scoff at their mediocre garlic-less hummus and wonder how much more his people must be degraded with such abominations made in the name of their cuisine.

 

No. No. No. Your guess would be wrong, as these are all people from the Sham; Palestinians, Jordanians and Lebanese, and Syrians.

 

You will have trouble if you tell them they don't know their hummus ;) :D

 

I knew many who felt garlic was something that obliterated the delicate balance of chick-peas, lemon, and tahineh, and turned the dish into garlic bean-dip.

 

Me? I like it either way.

 

Bill

 

ETA: I'm guessing your husband must have come from Israel [insert: hitting-below-the-belt smiley here]

[Shahrazad]

No. No. No. Your guess would be wrong, as these are all people from the Sham; Palestinians, Jordanians and Lebanese, and Syrians.

 

You will have trouble if you tell them they don't know their hummus ;) :D

 

I knew many who felt garlic was something that obliterated the delicate balance of chick-peas, lemon, and tahineh, and turned the dish into garlic bean-dip.

 

Me? I like it either way.

 

Bill

 

ETA: I'm guessing your husband must have come from Israel [insert: hitting-below-the-belt smiley here]

 

Hah! Well, that is disturbing. What hope is there for the rest of us if even hummus can be corrupted by those it should trust most?!

 

Hah! That was a below the belt comment. Luckily for him, my husband has lost most of his national pride on that matter. After the 3,000th time someone asks where you are from and your response of 'Palestine' garners a 'What? Where is that?' answer, it becomes easier to just say 'Israel' and simplify things. ;)

[Spy Car]

 

 

Hah! Well, that is disturbing. What hope is there for the rest of us if even hummus can be corrupted by those it should trust most?!

 

Hah! That was a below the belt comment. Luckily for him, my husband has lost most of his national pride on that matter. After the 3,000th time someone asks where you are from and your response of 'Palestine' garners a 'What? Where is that?' answer, it becomes easier to just say 'Israel' and simplify things. ;)

 

I knew he'd been corrupted by Israeli-style hummus ;) :D

 

The horror!!! :lol:

 

Bill

 

 

[mom@shiloh]

Well, I always pronounced it Kuh-tar with the accent on the first syllable until my nephew was deployed there and everyone in his family pronounced it Cutter and I'm thinking, "wait, I've been saying it wrong all these years?" So, apparently I was right all along? I like that. :glare:

[poppy]

Well, I always pronounced it Kuh-tar with the accent on the first syllable until my nephew was deployed there and everyone in his family pronounced it Cutter and I'm thinking, "wait, I've been saying it wrong all these years?" So, apparently I was right all along? I like that. :glare:

 

 

I don't really think you were, sorry!

I think people in the US tend to pronounce it with an exaggerated first syllable, the same way people in the US used to pronounced "Sheik" (as in, tribal leader") as "sheeek" instead "shake". Back in the days when we said such things were "exotic".

[DawnM]

I have always pronounced it more like kuh-tar.

[Kate in Arabia]

I think I generally adjust my pronunciation to suit the audience. If I pronounce Qatar the way it should be in a conversation with someone who only knows it as k-TAR, usually they a- don't know what I'm saying and/or b- think I'm being pretentious. I have the same issue with Dubai.. which is pronounced du-BAY by locals but du-BYE by others.