BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Vietnam bans fruity website name: "A website hoping to promote grapefruit in Vietnam has been banned from using the fruit's name because of official fears of a mix-up with a penis."
Don't know about you, but I have never had difficulty distinguishing a grapefruit from a penis. Ah, but wait, there is a logical explanation to this. If the intonation of the word for grapefruit- buoi - is intoned wrongly, people might misunderstand it. As a consequence the site contravenes the Vietnamese policies for websites. Intersting comment on the validity of the written word as opposed to the spoken word. Interesting comment,too, abot how the Vietnamese are sensitive to not offending others. So, I guess their nation will have some linguistic considerations now that the web is here and they have grapefruit to sell.
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