Eyjafjallajokull - pronounced roughly ay-uh-fyat-luh-yoe-kuutl – has confused many people and has proven especially testing for newsreaders more accustomed to easier
words, or simply English.
The name is three Icelandic words formed into one by a process linguists call “agglutination”, where separate ideas are put together to form a composite idea.
In this case, Eyjafjallajokull means “island-mountain-glacier”, so some have concluded it may not refer to the volcano at all but, more accurately, “the glacier on the
mountain which looks like an island”.
It is likely the volcano has been called many things that are not its proper name since it threw up vast plumes of ash clouds and forced airspace across Europe to be
closed.
Eliza Geirsdottir Newman, the musician in question, performed her song to the broadcaster Al Jazeera to help people remember the correct pronunciation.
Playing a ukulele, she sang: “Eyjafjallajokull is a long, long name/ For such a small glacier, with such notorious fame/ And Eyjafjallajokull has caused quite a stir/ And no-one can fly anywhere except the birds/ Please stop it Eyjafjallajokull.”
words, or simply English.
The name is three Icelandic words formed into one by a process linguists call “agglutination”, where separate ideas are put together to form a composite idea.
In this case, Eyjafjallajokull means “island-mountain-glacier”, so some have concluded it may not refer to the volcano at all but, more accurately, “the glacier on the
mountain which looks like an island”.
It is likely the volcano has been called many things that are not its proper name since it threw up vast plumes of ash clouds and forced airspace across Europe to be
closed.
Eliza Geirsdottir Newman, the musician in question, performed her song to the broadcaster Al Jazeera to help people remember the correct pronunciation.
Playing a ukulele, she sang: “Eyjafjallajokull is a long, long name/ For such a small glacier, with such notorious fame/ And Eyjafjallajokull has caused quite a stir/ And no-one can fly anywhere except the birds/ Please stop it Eyjafjallajokull.”
Source: The Telegraph
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