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Re: Latin and commemorative names #2a :) (fwd)

I think we have a problem with phonetic systems here. :)  

An english speaker, seeing "gn" will pronounce the "g" as a hard "g," as
in "get".  Hence "mag-nolia."

French treats "gn" as a diphthong, as you say - the nearest *english*
spelling of this is "ny".  As in "vignette".  To write that in English so
that a person who doesn't know french pronunciation will approximate it,
you'd have to write "vinyet".  (Whether it is "vi-nyet" or "vin-yet" to an
english speaker is only an academic difference.)  Nobody says "vig-net."

But English speakers, American and British, say mag-nolia, and not
ma-gn(ny)olia.  It's wrong according to French pronunciation, but
according to Latin, and more importantly, botanical latin (which is an
artificial construction) it's fine. 

Bob



On Fri, 2 Jan 1998, R. Beer wrote:

> On Fri, 2 Jan 1998, marco favero wrote:
> 
> > i'm sorry to say you that in French(which i speak fluently)Magnolia pronounces
> > Ma-gnolia and not Mon-Yolia;
> 
> This is my point.
> 
> if you ask someone in French who was Monsieur 
> > Mon-Yol,he cannot understand you,this is a wrong english pronunciation:-).
> > obviously you don't know the right pronunciation of difthong -GN-.
> > regards.
> 
> So you pronounce Magnol "Mag-Nol" in french?
> 
> 
>
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