Why is Menzies Campbell called 'Ming'?

[Twinky]

This is completely pointless, it won't increase my life satisfaction if I find out the answer, but I really want to know why he's called 'Ming'. Is it some sort of common shortening of the name Menzies? Was he a vase in previous life? Is it because he's a bit of an antique? Has he always been known as 'Ming' or only since he admitted to listening to the Arctic Monkeys on his iPod? Is it a 'hood name? Oh please... does anyone know?

[TheMob]

"Menzies" is pronounced MING-iss (IPA: /ˈmɪŋɪs/), and originally written Minȝies, the "z" being a poor rendition of the yogh (Ȝ) originally included in the name; hence "Ming".

Nicked from Wiki.

[Fenella]

It's not pointless Twinky. When he was first leader of the LD I wondered who they were talking about for a while when they called him Ming!

[Gemo52]

The correct pronunciation of Menzies is Mingies.

This is why:

Yogh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Twinky]

Oooh, thanks Fenella, I'm glad I'm not the only one!

And thanks to TheMob, that sounds like a good explanation, I was rather hoping for something more exciting but the truth rarely is I suppose!



Edited to Add : Cross posted with Gemo. Thanks also to you Gemo.

[Fenella]

If you're going to have someone with a weird name in the news, the least the media can do is explain in advance that they are in fact talking about one person and not talking about someone completed unrelated to who you think they're talking about.

[Twinky]

If you're going to have someone with a weird name in the news, the least the media can do is explain in advance that they are in fact talking about one person and not talking about someone completed unrelated to who you think they're talking about.

Yes, I often think the media are fairly careless with nicknames and acronyms. I wonder at which point they decide a nickname or an acronym is ok to use?

I remember the days when IRA was always said out in full and then, quite suddenly mid-80's, they changed to the acronym. During the Kosovan crisis they began by referring to the Kosovan Liberation Army and then, again quite suddenly, they switched to the KLA. Presumably they just assume that people 'know' what it means.

The other one they've used a lot is 'comical Ali' for the Iraqi information minister. For a long time I thought they were referring to 'chemical Ali' (another nickname) and I always wondered why they thought that was comical. Took me ages to discover that they meant someone else altogether.

Or maybe I'm just particularly stupid?

[Snapper]

You sure its nothing to do with Flash Gordon?

[SFB]

Singen = St. John is another interesting piece of English, as is Beecham = Beauchamp.

[Alpha]

The first name reminds me of A View To A Kill