common names vs technical names

Mark Walker MWalker at gensym.com
Fri Jan 14 08:50:58 EST 2000


Stan Gorodenski wrote:

> It may be the 'strange stares' are because they also don't know how it
> is pronounced, and are wondering if they have been 
> mispronouncing it all
> along.

Yes, this is true (and makes the whole thing rather amusing).

>  I have never felt gun-shy about the possibility of
> mispronouncing  a scientific name.  Whomever I am talking to 
> knows what
> I am referring to, and when I do learn I am incorrectly pronouncing
> something, I change it.

Well I have, and my point was that I think this may have at least SOMETHING
to do with the reticence to adopting a more "common" use of scientific
names.

Personally, it would be of value to me if someone were to publish some sort
of "recommended pronunciation".  Then, since none of us should consider
ourselves more or less qualified, we could all comfortably blast the crap
out of it.

For example:

polyxenes:  is it POLY-ZEENUS or PO-LIX-Z'NEEZ (I've used both)
Celastrina:  is it SELL-ES-TREENA or SELESS-TR'NA (I use the former)
ladon:  is it LAY-DOAN or LAH-D'N (I use the former)
Chlosyne:  is it KLOH-SINE or KLOH-SEEN (I use the latter)
irus:  is it EYE-RUSS or EE-ROOS (I use the former, but Latin suggests the
latter)
henrici:  is it HEN-RIKEYE or HEN-REE-SEE (I use the latter)
edwardsii:  is it EDWARDS-EE-EYE or EDWARDS-EE or EDWARDS-EYE (I use the
latter)
Oeneis:  is it OH-NAY-ISS or OWN-EEISS (I use the latter)
Polites:  is it POLL-EYE-TISS or POLL-EYE-TEEZ or POLI-TEEZ (I use the
middle one)

Blast away.

Mark Walker.
under a rainy sky in Kingsville, TX

> 


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