Latin names and how we say them

[Gerry Webster]

I cannot remember who said this a propos English linguistic imperialism: "The Germans call it 'brot', the French call it 'pain' & the Italians call it 'pane'. But we call it 'bread' & we are right because it is bread."

[Paddy Tobin]

Long-winded, wasn't he!

Paddy

[Anthony Darby]

I think I've mentioned this before. Wasn't it the Sony Corp that was so called because it can't be mispronounced? Aye right. Is that 'Sunny' as in 'son'; 'Sonny' as in 'on' (the way I pronounce it) or 'so-ny' as in so?

[Gerry Webster]

Long-winded, wasn't he!
Paddy

Sorry Paddy. I think it is very funny, but one shouldn't impose one's own sense of humour on other people.

[Maggi Young]

Gerry, I believe Paddy's "long-winded" comment was aimed at the rather long poem from the Dutchman, Gerald Nolst Trenite, which I posted earlier...

[Gerry Webster]

Gerry, I believe Paddy's "long-winded" comment was aimed at the rather long poem from the Dutchman, Gerald Nolst Trenite, which I posted earlier...

Maggi - you are probably right. It would help to know what is being referred to if people prefaced their posts with a "quote" (not that I always do!). If a comment immediately follows a post I tend to assume that it refers to that post (other things being equal).

[Paddy Tobin]

Sorry, Gerry,

 Yes, I was referring to Maggi's  quoted poem - and I enjoyed your sense of humour very much.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Yes, it was a long one... here's another, shorter and more punchy...... I don't know who wrote it...



....I take it you already know
of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
on hiccough, thorough, laugh and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
to learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word,
that looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead -- it's said like bed not bead --
and for goodness' sake don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt)

A moth is not the moth in mother,
nor both in bother, broth in brother.
And here is not a match for there,
nor dear and fear for bear and pear.
And then there's dose and rose and lose --
just look them up -- and goose and choose,
and cork and work and card and ward,
and font and front and word and sword,
and do and go and thwart and cart --
come, come I've hardly made a start.
A dreadful language? Man alive.
I'd mastered it when I was five.

[Rogan]

After reading ALL the above I'm quite exhausted! I was going to make some suggestions based on isiZulu, but changed my mind! 

There are many words I'm afraid to pronounce in public - here's one I'm particularly scared of: caespitose - can anyone enlighten me?

[mark smyth]

I say kais (k followed by eye) pit o sa

[David Shaw]

How about 'kay-spit-o-sey'?

[Maggi Young]

For caespitose I say  K-eye-spi-toes   for caespitosa I would sy k-eye-spi-toza

I know plenty folks who say Cess-pit-oze...... but cess pits are something I prefer to avoid whenever possible! 

[mark smyth]

Yeah I know someone who says cess pit

[Maggi Young]

For caespitose I say  K-eye-spi-toes   for caespitosa I would sy k-eye-spi-toza

I know plenty folks who say Cess-pit-oze...... but cess pits are something I prefer to avoid whenever possible! 

 On the OTHER hand... I say sellmisia, not    kellmisia....... but I also say sicklamin and not kicklamin....... confused.... I sure am!! 

[Tony Willis]

I just feel good if I can remember the name, never mind how to pronounce it.