HC Deb 12 July 1944 vol 401 cc1709-10
1. Mr. Astor

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that a standard British spelling of Arabic names was adopted in the Middle East; that several different systems of spelling Arabic names are used by his and other Departments at home; and whether he will consider adopting the system used in the Middle East as the standard spelling to be used in London.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Eden)

I am unaware that a standard British spelling of Arabic names, either personal or geographical, has been adopted by British authorities generally throughout the Middle East. Past efforts to adopt a standard system of transliteration have failed for a number of reasons, but principally because pronunciation differs in the various Arabic-speaking countries themselves. I am afraid that any renewed attempt at the present time to adopt a standard system could not but result in confusion.

Mr. Astor

Is not my right hon. Friend aware that in General Wavell's time, in order to avoid confusion in map-reading and so forth, a standard Arabic spelling was laid down for the whole of the Middle Eastern Command and that it was universally accepted and was a great success; and will he, therefore, look into the matter further?

Mr. Eden

I have looked into it and I have quite a lot of views on it myself, and, in my view, if we adopt the method my hon. Friend suggests, we shall make confusion worse confounded.

Mr. Astor

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it has already been done successfully?

Mr. Eden

I am afraid that I do not accept my hon. Friend's explanation of success.

Mr. Austin Hopkinson

Is it not quite impossible to reconcile Algerian and Libyan Arabic with Egyptian Arabic?

Mr. Eden

Yes, Sir, and there are even still further complications than that.