Re: Re: phonetic pronunciation

In a message dated 2/22/05 10:03:45 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
rpries@sbcglobal.net writes:

<<But even then it was stressed that Botanical Latin was a different language 
than Classical Latin. Rules, such as putting the accent on the penultimate 
syllable, seemed sacrosanct. Today I picked up one of the leading Botany 
textbooks in the country and found that there is no recommendation as to 
pronunciation at all except that it should conform to the pronunciation of your native 
tongue. In other words you can pronounce Botanical Latin the way you would 
naturally pronounce the words in your native language. That does not mean
  pronunciations with extra syllables and letters that are not there would be 
acceptable. But it does mean that no one has the authority to say you are 
pronouncing a botanical name incorrectly, provided it is clear as to what you are 
saying. I have a tendency to bend the old rules when it makes sense to me. 
Far example Iris versicolor means many colored iris. If I pronounced it by the 
old rules it would sound like EYE RIS  VER SICK O LOR. But it makes more 
sense to me to pronounce it EYE RIS VERSI  COLOR. Today either way is considered 
acceptable. The most important consideration is whether communication is taking 
place.
 
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