Supreme leadership?

[Mher]

Hi. Can I say "The Armenian President is going to meet with the supreme leadership of the above-mentioned countries?" By saying "supreme leadership" I mean prime minister, president etc..

 

[Rover_KE]

I'd just say 'the leaders' or 'the heads of state'.

 

[Barb_D]

I agree. "Supreme leader" sounds like North Korea.

 

[Matthew Wai]

How about 'paramount leader'?

 

[Barb_D]

No

 

[Matthew Wai]

Does the 'supreme/paramount leader' usually refer to the leader in a non-democracy like North Korea and China?

 

[Tdol]

It's often used for states like North Korea and can carry a negative connotation- grandiosity and pomposity. China has a premier and a president.

 

[Barb_D]

I have never heard "paramount leader" used anywhere.
I have heard "supreme leader" used ONLY with North Korea.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Supreme leader" is a phrase I associate only with North Korea and science-fiction books/films.

 

[Matthew Wai]

China has a premier and a president.

We Chinese people regard our president as the paramount leader.

Not a teacher.

 

[emsr2d2]

That might be the direct translation of the phrase you use there but "paramount leader" means nothing in English.

 

[Matthew Wai]

'China's paramount leader'── quoted from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/paramount
Is it possible that it is the direct translation of a Chinese phrase?

 

[Tdol]

'China's paramount leader'── quoted from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/paramount
Is it possible that it is the direct translation of a Chinese phrase?

It could be- you may find a few examples of it in use, but it's not the normal term in English.

 

[Tdol]

"Supreme leader" is a phrase I associate only with North Korea and science-fiction books/films.

I have also seen it used for Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

 

[Raymott]

In that case, the Pope is also the Supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_supremacy

 

[Rover_KE]

But nobody calls him the 'paramount' leader.

 

[Raymott]

But nobody calls him the 'paramount' leader.

No, I was following the last few posts, which were about "supreme leader".
But a bit of research has unearthed this:
"An apology by the paramount leader to Australian victims will be an opportunity for all Catholics to reflect on the sins"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/a-welcome-papal-visit/story-e6frfhqo-1111116905418

So, 'nobody' is an overstatement. There seem to be quite a few paramount leaders when you go looking for them!

 

[Rover_KE]

Right. I'll be more careful in future.

 

[Matthew Wai]

There seem to be quite a few paramount leaders when you go looking for them!

I unearthed this:
'Mr. Putin is almost certain to win a six-year term, meaning he will have been Russia’s paramount leader for 18 years.'── quoted from The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/w...russia-in-defiance-of-putin.html?pagewanted=1

Not a teacher.

 

[Rover_KE]

As Tdol wrote in post #13, 'You may find a few examples of it in use, but it's not the normal term in English'.

This thread has run its course. You are getting the same opinion from contributors to WordReference. Please pursue your apparent obsession with 'paramount leader' over there if you're still not satisfied.




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