I understand the politics of language well -- you could even say I am an expert on the subject because I was born in a land which has 29 distinct languages, most of which have their own script as well. But in the land that I have now adopted as my own, there is not only resentment against those that are bilingual but also demands to adopt an English-only policy.

I find this attitude grating in a country where over 85 percent of people speak the same language. But my gripe is with the mangling of foreign names by American media and public at a time when we need to be deft in international discourse.When you want to be thought of as sophisticated you perfect your etiquette, and spend time on your choice of words, to let the other person know that you have a nuanced understanding of the topic.

In the United States, even though French customs and mannerisms are often derided, French phrases are pervasive in cooking -- a la carte, cuisine, saute, julienne, entree, mousse, omelette, flambe, souffle, crêpe ...

In upscale French restaurants, ordering with the right French accent at once bestows on the person an aura of sophistication. Secretly we practice saying words like coq au vin, pommes frites or crème brûlee or risk being labeled as gauche by waiters.

In the West Coast, with its large Hispanic population, language politics became a fine art several decades ago. You can judge political views of people just by the way they enunciate Central and South American words.

If you order a buhhrrittho or thorthiyya, and vacation in Niccarrrahhua ... then you are a Contras sympathizer. (Remember them?)

Of course, language politics in this election season has become sinister. With a presidential hopeful sporting the name Barack Obama, the circus was on early, trying to find ways to ridicule this odd-sounding non-Anglo name. But Obama deftly diffused the criticism -- by saying he has overcome his name handicap.

As the war in Iraq plods through its sixth year with the goal of winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis, sadly, many opinion-makers still have not mastered the art of pronouncing Middle Eastern terms.

When we mispronounce the names and terms, the message we convey is that we don't care about you, and we don't care enough to understand your culture or pay attention to the correct pronunciation of your names. Maybe if we made a better effort to enunciate these names correctly, we might earn their respect.

For example: Iraq is Ee-raq, not Eye-raq. Pakistan is Paaa-kis-taaan not Pack-is-tan. Iran is Ee-raan not Eye-ran. And our former archenemy Saddam is Sadhaaam not Saad-um!

I am not suggesting that better amity will suddenly prevail when we amend our way of enunciating Middle Eastern words. But as the correct pronunciation at the French restaurant proclaims us as sophisticated gastronomes, the correct pronunciation may be the first step in trying to persuade Iraqis, Iranians and Afghanis that we approach them with cultural sensitivity and respect.

Then we can apply language politics to a good cause of bringing less strife and more understanding in the world.