25 APRIL 1987, Page 22

Tohu wa bohu

Sir: I cannot comment on the Noam Chomsky debate, but I would ask if your correspondent from Arlington, Virginia, T. W. Bohu, is being frank about his name (Letters, 11 April). It is not known to directory inquiries, and it has a remarkable similarity to a phrase from the Bible, which in its opening words describes the earth as being 'without form, and void', which in Hebrew is tohu wa bohu, a phrase whiCh used to be used in both English and German to signify chaos. It may well be that Mr Bohu's criticisms of Charles Glass and Chomsky are right, but I think we should know who he is: do we?

George Stern

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