On phonetics, phonology, and homophones.

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> > 
> > Carol:
> >  > The actors don't, however, seem to agree on the pronunciation of
> "Cruciatus Curse." Neville pronounces "Cruciatus" as I do (krew shee A
> tus, with an accented short "a"
> > 
> > Random832:
> > Is it a short "a" as in "cat", or as in "father"? (assuming these
> two are different)
> 
> Carol:
> Short "a" as in "cat," as I'm sure I said somewhere in my post. I
> wouldn't call the "ah" sound in "father" a short "a" (more like a
> short "o," but I'm one of those people who don't make a cot/caught
> distinction and can only distinguish between the accented vowel of
> "father" and the vowel in "fox" by placing my hand on my throat and/or
> looking at my mouth in the mirror. There must be a difference, but I
> quite literally don't *hear* it). 
> 
> Anyway, I don't think that the boy playing Neville uses "ah" for the
> "a" in Cruciatus. I think it's a short "a" as in "cat" (unless I'm
> misremembering. So I don't think that Latin (which I took in high
> school) has anything to do with his pronunciation, but I could be
> mistaken.

Geoff:
Actually he does. I've just checked the DVD and Matthew Lewis 
pronounces the word as "croo-shi-ah-tus".

Interestingly, i've always pronounced it as "croo-si-ah-tus". I think I 
mentally linked it to 'cruciform' and 'crucifix' when I first saw the word.


Carol: 
> The same with Rickman's pronunciation of "veritaserum," which,
> according to *my* Latin teacher, would start with a "w" sound for the
> "v." The "a" would be more of an "ah" rather than the schwa that
> Rickman makes it (IIRC). It sounds upperclass British to me, but what
> do I know?

Geoff:
That brings back memories. Traditionally, English schools have always taught v=w and 
c=k  and j=y in Latin as opposed to "church" Latin. So I always pronounced Julius Caesar's 
name as 'Yoolius' Kaiser'.

That let's another red herring loose in the pronunciation pond!