ASH

Can you believe what's going on in Iceland and as a result Northern Europe and the British Isles? Its almost unbelievable. Volcanic ash in the air so thick that it could bring down a jet air plane. Toxic ash coating the countryside and threatening livestock. When will it end?


Can you pronounce the name of the volcano causing all the trouble? . . . many news people are avoiding the name. It is Eyjafjallajokull . . . an Icelandic word meaning "Get an eyeful of this, numbskull." The trick to pronouncing it is knowing a few rules of the Icelandic language.

First rule: reverse the first two letters of any word. So it starts Ye.
Second rule: J used after a Y is for emphasis. So it starts Ye'.
Third rule: A is just like the short English A. So we have Ye'-a-
Fourth rule: J used after an F is pronounced like Y.
Fifth rule: double L is pronounced T. So we have Ye'-a-fyat-
Sixth rule: If there are letters after the double L, throw in another L. So we have Ye-a-fyat-la-
Seventh rule: If there are three J's in a word, the third one is pronounced like a J. So now we have Ye'-a-fyat-la-jo-
Now remember rule five and you have Ye'-a-fyat-la-jo-kut. This is the official pronunciation.
Now you know why news people are avoiding the name and why Icelandic school children seldom pass language class.
:o))