pronunciations

[Neil Jones]

In article <l03130305b4a5221286aa@[150.209.97.55]>
           ewilliam at hamilton.edu "Ernest Williams" writes:

> Lep folks,
> 
> Despite some saying that pronunciations don't matter, they DO matter to
> many people.  When I started working with leps, I was very hesitant to
> pronounce the names of many species for fear of saying them wrong - and at
> the first Lep. Soc. meeting I attended (20 years ago), I asked someone a
> question about _anicia_ (a-NISS-ee-a, soft "c") and I didn't understand the
> reply, which referred to a-NICK-ee-a (hard "c").  That one may be moot now,
> but the point is still there.  Communication does not always take place
> when the same name is pronounced differently.

People often feel intimidated about Latin or Latinised names. Nobody knows
how to pronounce them so the best way is just have a go.
This business about a hard or soft C is a case in point. With classical
latin some people will argue that we should say Kikero not sisero for
Cicero. Even church Latin varies some  eastern european choirs tend to sing
the C as a TS sound because of their own orthography.
I recently encountered a Russian who pronounced Parnassius mnemosyne
as PaRRnahseeoos nyemohzeenye but I still understood her.

Those of us who speak English certainly do not pronounce it the same.
I speak English with a strong and readily identifiable accent it is even
stronger in some local people. "iw (you) should yuRR(hear) the bewtiful way
they do speak English where I do come fRRom like".
English is not the native language and its pronounciation and grammar (like the
use of an auxilliary verb for the present tense) are influenced by the 
original language of the area.

One classic difference that I noticed on visiting the US was the word
Fritillary we say fri-TILL-ary you say  FRIT-illary.

If I were to speak about Iar Fach y Glaw (YaRR vach uh Gahw- it means 
rain butterfly) or even its English name the Ringlet to a foreigner
comprehension could be difficult. However Aphantopus hyperantus is globally
recognised.

NABA are right though to encourage common names list. Unfortunately many
monoglot English speakers are afraid of pronouncing foreign sounding names.
These people will find it easier. They can move on to the Linnean names
later.

Personally I have never worried too much about Latin pronounciation but then
I have to cope with local place names like Cwmgwrach, Gwernllwynchwyth
, Cwmrhydyceirw  and more distantly (and I can never resist quoting
this one) Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch. 
I'd love to name an insect after this place :-)

-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve