RE: paleonet Dinosaur Genera List update #187

["Andrew Rindsberg" <arindsberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks, Frank. Yes, let's head off in a different direction.

Frank K. Holterhoff wrote,
> Is there a universally accepted source for pronunciation of scientific
> Latin names?

No. Latin has remained relatively static, but only relatively. As spoken by
clerics having a different first language, its pronunciation has always been
somewhat different from country to country, a source of both confusion and
amusement. Poles speak Latin with a Polish accent, Spaniards with a Spanish
accent. English is the odd one, because English underwent a drastic change
in the pronunciation of its vowels without changing the spelling to match.
That's why Americans pronounce capital letters A, E, I, O, U as diphthongs
or triphthongs that would be spelled in Latin (with difficulty) as ei, ii,
ai (ae), ou, iuu (juu). In the Queen's English, the O might be spelled
better as eu and U as jiu, relatively recent innovations (American
pronunciation can be archaic compared to that of SE England, which seems to
thrive on change; for instance, the flat A in words like "bath" and "dance"
is an older pronunciation).

To add to the fun, Latin didn't remain completely static, but drifted over
the centuries into a Medieval Latin with some new words, some new meanings
for old words, and new oddities of spelling and grammar. Linnaeus did not
write in Classical Latin, but a specialized development from Medieval Latin
called Botanical Latin. Botanical Latin is a terse, subtle language having a
very rich vocabulary of technical terms for describing the visible parts of
plants and animals. There are far more color terms in Botanical Latin than
in Classical Latin. By adding prefixes and suffixes, and by compounding
words, Botanical Latin can express a wide range of shades of meaning. Much
of this vocabulary has been adopted for use in other languages, including
English. It is required for diagnosing most new plant names under the ICBN.
The ICZN allows both Botanical and Classical Latin forms to be used,
incidentally.

Some English-speakers are taught to pronounce Latin in the Medieval manner
with a Modern English accent. The vowels are, therefore, unrecognizable to
most Europeans, but this pronunciation has centuries of tradition behind it
and is not "incorrect". Cantatas and hymns written by English-speakers in
Latin were mostly designed to be sung using this style of pronunciation.

Other English-speakers are taught to pronounce Latin with Classical
pronunciation as reconstructed by linguists and philologists in the last
couple of centuries. The vowels agree well with those of Europeans but a few
of the consonants are pronunced differently; notably, Classical C before E
or I is pronunced like K, not CH, which was a Medieval development.

Perhaps the Europeans can explain for us how they pronounce their Latin.

> I'm aware that the science of paleontology has survived OK for hundreds
> of years with the present level of clarification (?) of this burning
> issue, but I think it's important to anyone who makes oral presentations
> and cares about effective communication, and especially to amateurs
> seeking to be scientifically correct!

Agreed. If communication is the object, then do what is needed to
communicate. For very familiar Latin names, there is often a standard
pronunciation that may seem arbitrary, but which everyone will recognize.
For example, the oyster Ostrea is usually pronounced as a homonym of Austria
by most English-speakers, but the Classical pronunciation would be more like
"Oh-stray-ah". The fact is that the pronunciation as "Austria" communicates
well to an American or British audience, and "Oh-stray-ah" does not.

For less familiar Latin names, choose one or another mode of pronunciation
and then stick to it. People will then have a chance to "read" your accent.

Best of all: Show the names on the screen as well as speaking them aloud.
Show confidence and forge on bravely.

> How do you pronounce the brachiopod genus Leptaena?

<smile> Good choice. That's a common name, so it depends on the audience.

Classical Latin: Lep-tie-nah, with each syllable given equal stress
(loudness), but with the final syllable shorter (given a little less time)
than the others.

Medieval (Botanical) Latin with English accent: Lep-TEE-nuh, with the middle
syllable spoken a little more loudly.

Classical Latin with American accent: Lep-TIE-nah

--but I'm sure other people pronounce Leptaena in still other ways. There's
still a lot of creativity in the world.

Andrew K. Rindsberg

Geological Survey of Alabama