Your Letters
17:17 UK time, Monday, 13 August 2007
Did the respondents in the even read the question they had been asked? Only Fools and Horses may have been considered funny by many but "influential"? Exactly what subsequent comedy can it be said to have influenced?
Paul Clare, Nottingham
Re Paul Greggor's letter about the Big Ben picture. Clearly the clock is behind the photographer, not in front of him - you don't appear upside down when you look at your own reflection in a puddle!
RP, Loughborough, UK
Re Robert Pearson's letter about pronunciation of Zimbabwe, as a Zimbabwean, I would agree with pronouncing it as Zimbabwee and Mugabee. I would however like to say that we pronounce the country as Zim-barb-wee rather than Zim-bab-wee, and Moo-garb-ee rather than Moo-gab-ee.
Lucy, London
The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú pronounce "Zimbabwe" and "Mugabe" correctly. If you speak to a Zimbabwean and listen to the way they say the words then you will see what I mean. The majority of people in the UK pronounce it incorrectly.
Sarah, Birmingham, UK
Re How to Say. How about teaching people how to pronounce Ascot (racecourse) and Avon (river)? Both these place names have become polluted by trade names of the same spelling because more people (who don’t live near these places) have heard of the AvOn Lady and used to drawn hot water from an AscOt gas heater. Even Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú announcers frequently say AscOt these days. Try Ascut or even Asct.
Tod, Croydon, UK
Nick, Cromer, in Tuesday's letters, thinks that Britain is synonymous with the UK. It may be to him but for many others it isn't. It is because Northern Ireland is on a different island the foot and mouth exception was made by the EU. This connection to a particular piece of land is evident in the OED which says Britain is "The proper name of the whole island containing England, Wales, and Scotland, with their dependencies; more fully called Great Britain." It also says Britain was used as a term with the efforts made to unite England and Scotland; in 1604 James I was proclaimed "King of Great Britain"; and this name was adopted for the United Kingdom, at the Union in 1707. After that event, South Britain and North Britain are frequent in Acts of Parliament for England and Scotland respectively: the latter is still in occasional (chiefly postal) use. (So West Britain, humorously or polemically for "Ireland".)
Christopher Cowan, Derry, Northern Ireland
To Karina (Friday letters), the Latin verb "lego" translates as "I read" or "I choose" depending on context. I think in the context of Lego, I'll go with I choose.
Hat, Ponte.
Now, how would they cope if the man had a T-shirt printed with "I'm a Pratt" written on it?
Paul Robinson, York, UK
Re - I'm prepared to buy 100 copies of Kanye West's album, will anyone else join me? There must be enough MM fans to ensure that "Fiddy" goes home and stays there.
Anon
Talking about , I seem to remember in the 1970s or early '80s, the Registrar-General for Scotland refused to allow a baby from Skye to be registered "Princess" without the express consent of the Lord Chamberlain.
Alasdair Baxter, Nottingham, England
must qualify for the least likely sentence ever to appear in a news story.
Rob Foreman, London, UK
Re number four of last week's 10 things: "President George W Bush has fitness levels in the top 3% of the US population." Come off it - that's not saying much!
Lucy Jones, Manchester
The 
