This guy insisted Trump was right to say ‘Thighland’ and the takedowns came thick and fast

You’ll have probably seen by now the unfortunate moment Donald Trump pronounced Thailand as ‘Thighland’. But just in case you haven’t …

I'll give you one guess as to which world "leader" pronounces Thailand as "Thighland."

JUST ONE GUESS.🙄pic.twitter.com/rGph9s17Ct

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) August 6, 2020

And one probably entirely predictable side effect was that Trump supporters started to insist that it IS pronounced Thighland and anyone who thinks otherwise has been saying it wrong all along.

And no-one stood on this burning deck more proudly than this guy.

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

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

And he really wasn’t letting it lie.

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

In England, Australia and India it is pronounced “Thighland” and guess who invented the English language?

— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020

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

Leaving aside our provincial argot, no honest person will deny that across the South Asian continent, Thailand is pronounced “Thighland.” So if an entire subcontinent—over a billion people—says it his way, Trump can’t be entirely wrong, can he?

— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 7, 2020

And here are our favourite things people had to say in response.

1.

Hello, hi, hello. Someone from England here: No it isn’t, you fucking melon.

— James Felton (@JimMFelton) August 7, 2020

2.

I’ve never heard any English speaker refer to Thailand as “Thighland.” I even traveled to Thailand 8 years ago, and never heard it pronounced that way. Even Street Fighter II (known for its questionable translations) pronounced it correctly. It’s OK to admit when someone’s wrong.

— Justin Boot ∞ (@Polymathically) August 7, 2020

3.

https://twitter.com/SpillerOfTea/status/1291651475211464708?s=20

4.

I'm an American who has lived in Britain for a decade and have conducted field research in Thailand six times and have never once heard an English-speaking person other than Donald Trump say "Thighland." https://t.co/ZxEDIOiSKT

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) August 7, 2020

5.

https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1291532158662828032?s=20

6.

As an American working in a multicultural office in Sydney, I asked my Australian, Indian, and British colleagues how they pronounce it.

Unsurprisingly, Mr D’Sousa is 0-4.

— Justin Earl Cleveland (@JEarlCleveland) August 7, 2020

7.

surprised they have wifi this far up Trump's colon https://t.co/7fkNWSCiPy

— shauna (@goldengateblond) August 7, 2020

8.

I mean, most of the English speaking world pronounces “Dinesh D’Souza” “Syphilis Brained Grifter” so Thighland checks out.

— john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) August 7, 2020

9.

“controversy” = monumental self own that has united the anglophone world in laughing at you https://t.co/ZJGBp9HSaH

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 7, 2020

10.

What a thwat. https://t.co/hMF7O82w1L

— Nick Pettigrew (@Nick_Pettigrew) August 7, 2020

11.

That’s just not remotely true. But useful to the extent it shows how hyper-partisans will argue blatantly untrue things just to defend their team. https://t.co/P0ItTwNGcr

— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) August 7, 2020

12.

I spent far too much time trying to make this look authentic. pic.twitter.com/EWkZBpoI2Q

— Nick Harvey (@mrnickharvey) August 7, 2020

13.

“controversy” = monumental self own that has united the anglophone world in laughing at you https://t.co/ZJGBp9HSaH

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 7, 2020

To conclude …

Now every Republican will have to say Thighland forever https://t.co/YvkHf2mzrE

— rabia O'chaudry (@rabiasquared) August 7, 2020

And this.

"Th" in English is known as the interdental sound. Mostly pronounced with tongue between teeth as it is in "thigh". But there are exceptions. We don't use it for Thames, or Thailand or thpectacular thwitter thelf-own.

— Otto English (@Otto_English) August 7, 2020

Oh, and just in case you were wondering.

Ah. The 'Thighland' guy is, perhaps inevitably, one of those Trump-supporting goons who 'thinks' the real Nazis are on the left…

— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) August 7, 2020

READ MORE

Donald Trump pronounced Thailand as ‘Thigh-land’ – 9 punniest responses