Precast: Nissan Qashqai, Mulally Doolally?
Car names are a happy hunting ground for motoscribes and headline writers. Nissan Armada? Please. Versa? Vice springs immediately to mind (and not because of any other websites I may or may not have visited recently). I'm not sure if Nissan was trying to flummox the press when they settled on Qashqai as a name for their new "cute ute," but I reckon it's a big mistake. First, naming a vehicle after an obscure ethnic tribe is a bit too me-too, what with the Toureg already twisting tongues at VW dealerships worldwide. Second, the Qashqai are a semi-nomadic, Farsi-speaking Shia Muslim tribe based in southern Iran. Nuff said? Third, it's unpronounceable. I've scoured the web, and still can't find a phonetic spelling. (Little help?) And fourth, capitalizing on a tribe's identity without paying them for the privilege ain't exactly what I'd call PC. Meanwhile, Spinelli and I kick around Mr. Mulally's appointment at Ford. Figuratively speaking.
More by Robert Farago
Comments
Join the conversation
Robert - Perhaps a knee jerk reaction from me, but what does the religion of the Ghashghai have to do with anything? More on the topic, the name Qashqai is really unfortunate: Firstly, I am a Farsi speaking Shia Muslim (albeit from Tehran) and I didn't know what Qashqai meant. I just presumed it was an asian name and that perhaps the car was meant for the asian market, until I read this... Secondly, Qashqai (I think Ghashghai is a closer spelling) contains a letter (along with its pronounciation) that simply doesn't exist in the Latin derived language. Gh or Q is perhaps the nearest representation of the Farsi letter ghaf. I've been trying to teach my Latin American wife for 7 years how to pronounce the letter with little success. And Ghashghai constains two of these! I don't know phonetics, but here some tips on how to pronounce the word: To pronounce the gh or q try gargling some liquid. The end of your tongue needs to hit the back of your throat (your adam's apple moves slightly up). It's like very soft g. The first a is pronounced like the a in cat. The second a is pronounced more like the u in up. The i at the end is pronounced like ee in peel. It's a stupid name for this car, especially if it is going to be marketed for Europe/America.
Its Fun to Find Out! "This site is an ethnographic project. It is a workshop for communication of texts, images and sounds regarding the history, society and culture of the Turkic speaking Qashqai people of the Fars region of southern Iran." also, click here---->
I guess European car companies are ahead of the curve by naming their car using alphanumerics. At least the pronounciation of the word "TOURAEG" is more obvious than something from a language that sounds like someone trying to speak Klingon with a sore throat.