On 29/7/05 15:01, in article , "michael adams"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 29/7/05 13:57, in article , "michael
adams"
wrote:


"Paul Giverin" wrote in message
...

I was just about to post here asking if anyone knew of an online guide
to phonetic pronunciation of plant names. After many years of
gardening,
I still manage to embarrass myself in front of friends and colleagues
with some of my pronunciation





Anyway, before posting I did another "google" and came up with this:-

http://tinyurl.com/cexua

... which I hope someone else might find useful.

...

This is maybe one of the main benefits of listening to "Gardeners'
Question Time" on a regular basis, as the "correct" pronunciations,
or at least in the past maybe, Geoffrey Smith's version of some of them,
are absorbed almost subconsciously. Which can work the other way
around as well, when trying to find things like "ceanothus" in
catalogues, confident it must start with an "S".


But 'correct' depends on where and when people learned Latin.

...

Indeed. Hence the qutation marks.

I very much doubt whether Geoffrey Smith or Fed Downham to name
but two ever learned too much Latin to start with. Well maybe
Geoffrey Smith did, but I'm sure he always used the English name and
pronounciation Saxifrage - as in greengage rather than the strict
Latin Saxigraga, i.e as in rajah. I'm sure I remember this coming
up one time on GQT - or maybe it was the other way round.

I suspect most of us pronounce things as we first heard them. So if your
first experience is of 'Nepeeeeeta' instead of 'NePETa', or even 'NEpeta' it
will remain so for evermore - to you.
...

Think of
'lichen' - to some it's pronounced 'liken' and to others 'litchen'. Some
say "Nyefofeea" and others 'Nipoffeea" for Kniphofia. I say CLEMatis, my
husband says CleMAYtis etc. etc.

...

Apparently some people pronouce golf as "goff."

I pronounce that as 'pretentious' - and all those 'goffers' who wish to do
so may howl at me for my prejudices!
snip
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)