Ralesk Ne'vennoyx wrote:
Interesting.
I have only heard it as /I'ra:k/ from Anglophone people (and here I don't know what kind of r to be put there in SAMPA, so forgive me that). Hungarians write the country name as "Irak" and pronounce it /'irAk/.
I have never heard it as /ai'rak/, /ai'r{k/ or anything similar.
I am not sure if it counts, but Iraq in Arabic is pronouced closer to /ai'rak/ .. The First letter in Iraq is ayn (check [[Arabic alphabet]]).. Anyhow, I don't think that it is insulting to call [[Saddam]] in his first name, after all, many of the monements in Iraq that was build in his ira was called Saddam something, Like Saddam City (now called Sadr City) and others. So, if he accept that he is refered to as Saddam, then that is enough.
Sorry, I know this is not the article talk page :)
Yours Isam Bayazidi