Final Word from Thursday, October 17, 2019
Turkey's invasion of Syria has had the side effect of shining a light on Qatar's 15% ownership stake and 17% voting stake in Volkswagen (meaning indirectly 15% and 17% in Škoda Auto as well). As LN noted yesterday, VW has been under pressure to put its new multibrand factory in Turkey, because Ankara is an important ally of the Arab sheikhdom. This got us thinking more about the names of Škoda's latest models, the Kodiaq, the Karoq and the Kamiq. Sure, the first two names can be Aleutian, as Škoda suggests, and there is a Kamýk in both Prague and near Litoměřice. However, these three names, as written by Škoda, also share a language peculiarity with Qatar. Few words in English - and Škoda likes its vehicles to have international-sounding names - contain a "q" that is not followed by a "u." Many of those that do are of Arab origin. Say this sentence three times, and maybe the subliminal message will start kicking in: "Sadiq tours Qatar in a Karoq." [ Czech Republic Eskimo Lidové noviny Arabic ]
Glossary of difficult words
side effect - a secondary, typically undesirable, effect;
Aleutian - related to the Aleutian Islands;
peculiarity - a characteristic that is distinctive of a particular person, place or thing;
subliminal - (of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone's mind without his or her being aware of it;
to kick in - to begin to function; to take hold.