Latin pronounciation

[Erast Parmasto]

On Thu, 25 Feb 1999 06:37:25 -0700,
JOSEPH E. LAFERRIERE  <josephl at AZTEC.ASU.EDU> wrote:

> "Billieturnera"
> is not Latin but English with an extra letter
> added to the end.

   "Scientific names of taxonomic groups are treated as Latin regardless of
their derivation" - International Code of Botanical Nomrenclature (Tokyo
Code), 1994, Principle V. The same in earlier versions of the ICBN.
   "Not to make names which are very long or difficult to pronounce in
Latin" (SIC! in Latin, not _in English_! - E. P.) - ICBN, Recommendation
20A.1 (c).

> However,
> I have never heard any botanist from any country pronounce
> Latin correctly, the way it would have been pronounced
> by Plinius Secundus.

   I have never heard any American / Englishman pronounce English
correctly, the way it would have been pronounced by Mr. Shakespeare.
Moreover, the Latin names pronounced in English (in American?) sound quite
differently in Louisiana and Maryland. Maybe, Californian pronounciation is
the only correct one? Let us discuss this.

Erast Parmasto

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   "The main thing, is to keep the main thing, the main thing."
                                                 Scott Krippayne
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Erast Parmasto
Institute of Zoology & Botany, Estonian Agricultural University
181 Riia St., EE 51014 Tartu, Estonia
Phone: +372 7 383 027; Fax: +372 7 383 013
<e.parmasto at zbi.ee>