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Species pronunciation (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter pshute
- Start date
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Not heard of any specifically for bats, but just use a general one for Classical Latin and you won't go wrong - the sounds you use in Latin follow well-established rules so are predictable :t:
The ones that get forgotten most often are (1) 'c' in Latin is always a hard 'k' sound, and (2) 'v' in Latin is pronounced like 'w' in English. Another common error is that -ae- is like 'ee', but correctly more like 'eye'.
The ones that get forgotten most often are (1) 'c' in Latin is always a hard 'k' sound, and (2) 'v' in Latin is pronounced like 'w' in English. Another common error is that -ae- is like 'ee', but correctly more like 'eye'.
RecoveringScot
Well-known member
Not forgetting 'oe' = 'oy!'. It always irritates me when choirs sing the word 'coeli' as 'chellee' in Faure's Requiem and others.
Cheers
I'd like to pronounce them like "everyone else", and I suspect all three rules you quote would raise eyebrows in a lot of places. According to this page, English pronunciation of scientific names varies quite a bit from Classical Latin:
http://courses.washington.edu/ehuf462/462_mats/pronunciation_of_biological_latin.pdf
It's a pity it can vary from country to country, but that's the way it is, and I'm not going to push the Classical Latin line. I'm in Australia, I assume pronunciation is at least similar in the UK and USA?
It's the stress position I'm most interested in learning. The rules described on that pages are quite complex, and I think a simple reference list would be more useful.
As an example, how would one say Chalinolobus gouldii?
http://courses.washington.edu/ehuf462/462_mats/pronunciation_of_biological_latin.pdf
It's a pity it can vary from country to country, but that's the way it is, and I'm not going to push the Classical Latin line. I'm in Australia, I assume pronunciation is at least similar in the UK and USA?
It's the stress position I'm most interested in learning. The rules described on that pages are quite complex, and I think a simple reference list would be more useful.
As an example, how would one say Chalinolobus gouldii?
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Ooh, you're going down a rocky road there! I'm neither a linguist nor a scientist but I'd wager that UK and USA stress positions of your example would differ as follows (prepares to get shot down in flames....):
UK: cha-li-NOL-o-bus
USA: cha-li-no-LO-bus
All good fun:t:
Would it not be Ka-li-etc?
I can't believe I misspelled "pronunciation" in the title of this thread, especially in the way that I have. Looks like I can't edit that. Hope it doesn't attract the wrong types.
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Yep. Or more accurately, Kha-li-etc., as it is from Greek χ
Drop a note to the moderators, and they'll correct it for you.
Thanks!Already corrected
I found this pdf file, which seems to have the Australian species I'm interested in:
http://www.ozarkwild.org/manuals/Insectivorous_Bats_JS.pdf
For Chalinolobus gouldii, it advises kah’-lin-oh-lobe’-us gule’-dee-ee. I would have thought gule-dee-eye, but maybe those are common variations. It's a difference that doesn't render one's pronunciations unintelligible.
http://www.ozarkwild.org/manuals/Insectivorous_Bats_JS.pdf
For Chalinolobus gouldii, it advises kah’-lin-oh-lobe’-us gule’-dee-ee. I would have thought gule-dee-eye, but maybe those are common variations. It's a difference that doesn't render one's pronunciations unintelligible.
Sorry to sidetrack this thread but ... There is a perfectly good reason for 'chaylee' etc. Latin in sacred choral music is always pronounced in the manner of 'Church Latin', for which the basic rule is 'get as close to Italian as you can'.
Maffong
Well-known member
This statement really got me confused, as I believed the sound of c was dependent on the vowel after, just like in spanish and other romanian languages. However I've never learnt proper latin, pretty much all my latin skills come from scientific names.
So I googled and came across this site, which I believe might be helpful for this thread too.
Now if I understand correctly the correct pronounciations are
Sylvia konspichillata (Sylvia conspicillata)
Kotchyzus amerikanus (Coccyzus americanus)
Aquila fashiata (Aquila fasciata)
Larus djenei (Larus genei)
My favourite has to be Catharus fusheshens. Shounds like Shean Connery.
Did I get it right?
Maffong
pshute, I guess you can see already that there is no universally agreed 'correct' way to pronounce scientific names. Arguments vary from nutcracker's advocation of classical Latin to those in the sources quoted above. As you say, 'when in Oz do as Ozzies do', whatever that is. (I remember a recent thread on which one of our Dutch friends - may have been xenospiza - was VERY scathing about the way most British and Irish birders go about it.)
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Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Nope!
Tip: remember Caesar is pronounced, as it was taken up for the title of the German emperors, as 'Kaiser'
Classical latin does not bring back many pleasant memories.... However I think the pronunciation of scientific latin is much more relaxed, for one thing the latin alphabet has fewer letters than our modern one. The incorporation of words and proper names from other languages quite possibly written in a different way to our 26 letter system especially in specific names present challenges . I think some botany courses include a few lectures on "Latin for Botanists / Taxonomists" but don't expect to be able to read and translate Caesar afterwards !
Jim
Jim
But you'd never say ch... for coeli in Italian. It's only ch if it's followed by e or i. I agree about the different flavours of Latin though.
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
The only problem with that Nutty is that many names are comprised at least in part, of Greek not Latin.
A
Farnboro John
Well-known member
I must say that it seems to me that if you are talking science, the best course in relation to anything coming from the church is to ignore it.
And as far as pronunciation of scientific names (which are known to all to contain a mixture of Latin and Greek roots as well as bastardised modern languages) is concerned, just remember that Aquila chrysaetos is pronounced "Golden Eagle", the main use of the scientific name being to avoid confusion in print.
John
And as far as pronunciation of scientific names (which are known to all to contain a mixture of Latin and Greek roots as well as bastardised modern languages) is concerned, just remember that Aquila chrysaetos is pronounced "Golden Eagle", the main use of the scientific name being to avoid confusion in print.
John
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Fair enough for well-known groups with standardised English names, but sci names are important when dealing with less popular groups where many species may not even have English names at all, and they certainly wouldn't be familiar with people who are not English speakers (e.g. if you were wanting to discuss South American bats).
Well said about the church! 3
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