Language for taxonomic names, redux

Arthur Reutenauer arthur.reutenauer at normalesup.org
Thu Feb 23 10:57:11 CET 2017


>>>> I doubt that English, French, German, or Japanese users pronounce “Eurema desjardinsii” in the same way.
>>>
>>> Perhaps not; but they arguably should.
>>
>> Um, no way. According to what standard?
> 
> http://capewest.ca/pron.html

  This page does not argue that binomial names should be pronounced the
same way in every language; on the contrary, it lists (observed)
patterns of pronunciation of these names in English.  Some of these
features are indeed influenced by Latin, such as the position of the
stressed syllable and the fact that final vowels are never silent.
However, others are unmistakable characteristics of modern English, for
example the realisation of <th> as [θ], the palatisation of <c> and <g>
before front vowels (itself influenced from Middle French), the dropping
of the initial consonant in clusters such as <ps> and <pn>, and of
course the diphthongisation of long vowels following the great vowel
shift.

	Best,

		Arthur


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