[HPFGU-OTChatter] Pronunciation Police! (was Re: Spelling Police)

[Jen Faulkner]

On Sat, 7 Jul 2001, Horst or Rebecca J. Bohner wrote:

> Amanda wrote, of her husband:
> 
> > He also says Draco as if it rhymed with "wacko," what can you do?
> 
> But... but... but... that *is* how it's pronounced, surely.
> 
> You don't pronounce the word "draconian" as "DRAY-koh-nee-ann", do you?
> It's "drah-KOH-nee-ann".  Same Latin root.

And they both come from the same Greek root, the name "Draco," (as of
the Athenian lawgiver), whose standard pronunciation in English is
DRAY-koh.

('Draconian' is pronounced the way it is not for any reason to do with
the first syllable's quantity, but the second's; the 'o' is long and
bears the accent, as it is the antepenult in a Greek/Latin word, which
necessitates the reduction of the first 'a' to a schwa.)

'Draco' cannot rhyme with 'wacko' since the a is long, and not short.

Personally, I find it a little tedious when English speakers pronounce
ancient names in the 'classical' manner, when there is an accepted
anglicization.  To me, it simply sounds affected, though YMMV.  Are we
to pronounce Lucius as LOO-kee-oos?  So why DRAH-koh?

> Of course, I probably pronounce "Severus" all wrong (seeing as it's
> Latinate, perhaps it should be "seh-VEH-rus" instead of "SEH-ver-russ"?) so
> I'd better not get too dogmatic.

The 'correct' pronunciation (with anglicization) is suh-VEER-us (where
'uh' represents the schwa), but from what I've seen over the years, most
English speakers prefer 'SEH-ver-us'.  That includes classicists who
should (theoretically) know better. *g* (I'd still like to know whether
British classicists (Latin teachers, etc.) get this wrong too...  
anyone?)

--jen :)


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