Dinesh D’Souza Insists Trump Was Right to Mispronounce Thailand as ‘Thighland’ in Lengthy Tweetstorm
Conservative author and pardoned felon Dinesh D’Souza mounted a lengthy defense of President Donald Trump’s “Thighland” moment in a lengthy series of tweets that suggested Trump’s pronunciation of Thailand was sort of correct.
Trump set the internet ablaze when he referenced “Thighland” during a speech on Thursday, but he had a staunch defender in D’Souza, who mounted an hours-long campaign to turn the gaffe upside down — despite the fact that even Trump corrected himself shortly after he misspoke.
“I’m highly amused to see supposedly sophisticated media types snickering at @realdonaldtrump for saying ‘Thighland.'”, D’Souza wrote at the beginning of his linguistic odyssey, adding “These faux-sophisticates don’t realize Trump’s way of saying it is right. “Tai-land” is the crude lingo of people who have never been to ‘Thighland’”.
I’m highly amused to see supposedly sophisticated media types snickering at @realdonaldtrump for saying “Thighland.” These faux-sophisticates don’t realize Trump’s way of saying it is right. “Tai-land” is the crude lingo of people who have never been to “Thighland”
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
He was quickly challenged, but stuck to his guns… for a while.
I’m talking about how it is pronounced in English, not Thai. Most English-speaking people around the world say “Thighland”
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
I don’t mean it sounds like that in the Thai language. I mean that is how it is said in English
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
The French say “Paree” but that’s not how we say it in English, is it?
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
Do you know anyone in England, Australia or India?
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
In England, Australia and India it is pronounced “Thighland” and guess who invented the English language?
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
Eventually, he conceded that Trump’s pronunciation is not “how it is said in the Thai language,” but continued to defend it anyway.
Let me clarify. I’m not saying “Thighland” is how it is said in the Thai language. The French say “Paree” but that’s not how it is pronounced in English. “Thighland,” not “Tai-land,” is how English speakers around the world say it
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
In Germany they say “Munchen” for Munich and in Italy they say “Roma” for Rome, but we don’t pronounce it that way, do we? We are talking about the English pronunciation
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
We are speaking English, not Thai
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
This is actually the correct pronunciation. Most Americans say it wrong. Thailand is pronounced phonetically. It’s “Thighland,” not “Tai-land.” https://t.co/kiQI7FveEM
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 6, 2020
I grew up in India and learned British English and everyone schooled by the people who actually invented the English language says “Thighland,” which happens also to be the actual spelling of the word (Thai, not Tai)
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
I’m really enjoying the “Thighland” controversy I seem to have kicked off. Outside of America, every English speaking country, starting with the one that invented the language, pronounces it the way Trump did. “Tai-land” is for frontier people who like to simplify pronunciations
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
I don’t mind Americans saying “Tai-land” just as I don’t mind Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny saying “Yutes.” Even so, there is a th-sound in both words, even if a lack of education or travel prevents one from knowing this
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020
And on he went, until generations from now, his ghost could be heard saying “ACKSHUALLY, ‘Thighland’ is correct!”
It’s not.
