# It's "Gandhi" NOT "Ghandi", you cow-felching fools! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 20, 2000, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175 "2000-07-20T01:25:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/1 "2000-07-20T01:25:16Z")
[Wow, my first-ever use of obscenity in the Pit and my first-ever use of the word “felch”, period. Felch. Felch felch felch felch felch felch. Hmmm, I kinda like it.] Anyway, back to my point… Come on people, how difficult **is** it to get this right? This guy was, by any standard and from any viewpoint, a major world historical figure of the twentieth century, and at least half the references to his name that you ever see are misspelled. Do you see non-Americans going around making references to “Llincon” or “Wishington”? Are you just not paying attention, or what? And for Pete’s, um, I mean for shit’s sake, **don’t** just leave out the “h” altogether and write “Gandi”, which is a form of a Hindi word meaning “dirty” or “filthy”! Damn, folks, if you’re going to insult people by twisting their names at least don’t do it accidentally. It’s distracting and unpleasant—think of the little double-take you’d do if you read a reference to “Martin Luther Kink, Jr.” and imagine it happening practically every felching time someone writes the name. You say you can’t be expected to remember how some old Third World geezer from half a century back spelled his name? I have just the mnemonic aid you need, kiddies—come on now, all together to the tune of [“Mother”](http://wilstar.com/holidays/mothers.htm): **G** is for his garment made of homespun, **A** is for the ashram where he taught, **N** is Nehru, loyal as his own son, **D** is for the dharma that he sought; **H** is for the hunger self-inflicted, **I** is India where his voice was heard— Put them all together, they spell [_fortissimo con portamento_] GA-A-ANDHI, A name that’s not a dirty word! Very good. Now get it right, willya? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/2 "2000-07-20T01:32:41Z")
Who is this Gandy person? btw - if I have to explain what I mean by it (felch - for instance), it ain’t an obsenity. Oh, this is the pit, so - you fly squicking, camel felching, cow hugger! ---
**Author:** ![tiggeril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tiggeril/32/7234_2.png) [@tiggeril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiggeril)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/3 "2000-07-20T01:41:15Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s “Gandhi” NOT “Ghandi”, you cow-felching fools! And one huge, momma-squickin, banshee-felching AMEN from this Indian chick! ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/4 "2000-07-20T01:45:15Z")
tiggeril, You’d really rather squick your momma instead of misspelling Gandhi? Interesting… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/5 "2000-07-20T01:54:01Z")
shabash, **tiggeril**! ---
**Author:** ![tiggeril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tiggeril/32/7234_2.png) [@tiggeril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiggeril)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/6 "2000-07-20T01:57:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BigJoe \* > \*\*tiggeril, > > You’d really rather squick your momma instead of misspelling Gandhi? > > Interesting… \*\* Well, considering that it’s biologically impossible for me to squick my momma, why not? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Kimstu_ > > **shabash, tiggeril!** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/7 "2000-07-20T02:20:19Z")
I’m unfamilar with this person aswell. How big are ya mama’s lobes ? ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/8 "2000-07-20T02:21:07Z")
Sigh… OK… Just thinking wierd thoughts about stainless steel dildos and auger bits - smack me for a stupid bastard. ---
**Author:** ![tiggeril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tiggeril/32/7234_2.png) [@tiggeril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiggeril)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/9 "2000-07-20T02:26:34Z")
Joe… ::smack:: yojimbo… ::thud::::thud::::thud::::thud::::thud:: ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/10 "2000-07-20T02:29:26Z")
tiggeril - [breaks into song (John (cougar) Mellencamp))] hurts soooo good, come on baby, hurts soooo goood! [/song] ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/11 "2000-07-20T02:31:41Z")
“K” is for the kindly way she teases “I” is for the India she’s seen “M” is maybe something else that pleases “T” is out of place because I’m mean “U” is understood to be a vowel “S” is simply there for sibilance Put them all together they spell Kiiimmtuuuuss!!! (I hope the spelling’s close enough _plus chance_.) ---
**Author:** ![FreakFreely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@FreakFreely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FreakFreely)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/12 "2000-07-20T02:39:12Z")
Personally, I wouldn’t be irked that his name was spelled wrong, I would be happy that his name was mentioned. Besides, why does it even matter? Gandhi and Ghandi are both just phonetic english translations anyway. So either way, you’re still saying his name. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/13 "2000-07-20T03:48:40Z")
Is there a site that shows Gandhi’s name in the original script? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/14 "2000-07-20T13:03:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kimstu \* > \*\* > And for Pete’s, um, I mean for shit’s sake, **don’t** just leave out the “h” altogether and write “Gandi”, which is a form of a Hindi word meaning “dirty” or “filthy”! Damn, folks, if you’re going to insult people by twisting their names at least don’t do it accidentally. \*\* OK, I’ll insult the little naked midget on purpose, just to please you. That little fuck GANDI felched cows, then squicked 'em to death, then ate big goddam greasy hamburgers made out of their dung-ridden asses and wiped his mouth on the Indian flag. Happy? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2000, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-gandhi-not-ghandi-you-cow-felching-fools/26175/15 "2000-07-20T14:45:25Z")
**Freakly:** > [@](#): > > Gandhi and Ghandi are both just phonetic english translations anyway. So either way, you’re still saying his name. [anguished howl] NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Aspirated consonants in Indo-Aryan languages are **distinct** from the non-aspirated ones! So the non-aspirated guttural sonant “g” is **not** the same as the aspirated guttural sonant “gh”, and the non-aspirated dental sonant “d” is not the same as the aspirated dental sonant “dh”! Ask **tiggeril** or **matt\_mcl** or any other Indian or linguist! Transliteration matters!!! [calming down] You can compare the letters in the Indian Devanagari script at [this page](http://www.intelindia.com/hinditeacher/speaking_l4.htm): “g” and “gh” are entries (row,column) 1,3 and 1,4 and “d” and “dh” are entries 4,3 and 4,4 in the table. Couldn’t find a Nagari version of Gandhi’s name, though. (And **xeno** , I love you, but you knew that. :))