Talk:Alwattan Party (Libya)

Al-Watan or Alwattan?

I certainly do agree that the English spelling of the name that the party has chosen for itself seems to be a bit odd. Still, I think we should accept the "Alwattan" spelling that their official party website has chosen for themselves as our official spelling of the name as well. Thanks, Scott P. (talk) 00:12, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Our naming policy states that Wikipedia does not necessarily use the subject's "official" name as an article title; it prefers to use the name that is most frequently used to refer to the subject in English-language reliable sources. "Alwattan" seems to be most uncommon. At the moment there is a dearth of reliable sources; only time will tell which version comes out as a definitive winner.  --Lambiam 00:50, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Good point. For some reason, Arabic is one of those "pesky" languages for which there has not yet been a widely accepted authoritative rule for transliteration into English. Thus much confusion often occurs when transliterations must be made. As I understand it, the name "Hizb Al Watan" translates most directly to the phrase "Party (of) The Nation". It seems to me that such a name might have a lot of potential, just like the names "Republican" or "Democrat", once did (and still do). Still, until a single alternate English spelling seems to become a clear common preference (and winner) amongst English writing journalists, which does not yet seem to have happened, I think the safest bet is to stay with the Alwattan party's own official English spelling of its own name. (Currently I've found several alternative ways that journalists have chosen to transliterate the name, all vying with one another.) Thanks. Scott P. (talk) 12:47, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

The name "Nation Party" seems to have gained some currency.  --Lambiam 17:18, 24 June 2012 (UTC)