How Do You Pronounce Betta?

[RandomWiktor]

I don't think anyone is hating someone for mispronouncing a word, or even thinking they are "stupid." If anything, they just think the individual is misinformed about the proper name of the animal. They probably just give a little snicker mentally and nothing more. I think the issue is being blown just a little out of proportion here...? I mean, I'm not particularly seeing a holocaust of the people who pronounce "betta" incorrectly
Anyone who appreciates language would appreciate words to be pronounced properly, just as anyone who appreciates writing would like to see correct grammar. Does that people people who use improper grammar are inferior, or people who correct them are prejudiced? If so, we need to fire a whole mess of English teachers for being biggots...

In my area, dialect dictates that "betta" be pronounced "beh-ta," because if you say "bay-ta," you are using a completely different word, one refering to a letter of the greek alphabet. I don't think it is too much to want people to pronounce the word correctly since they aren't even saying the proper word. I don't comment when people pronounce it incorrectly. More often than not, I get commented on for pronouncing it properly because very few people know or abide by the proper pronunciation.

::shrugs:: I guess I just don't see the issue with prefering proper pronunciation over improper pronunciation, especially when improper pronunciation changes the meaning of the word entirely.

 

[Kekmet]

No, my initial problem with this was someone calling people less intelligent for not using the 'correct' pronunciation. Perhaps I am in a minority, but where I live there are quite a few different dialects being mixed together (a regular college town) and thus just because someone is pronouncing something differently doesn't mean they're wrong. It just means they come from elsewhere.

Maybe you don't see it as a big deal to assume just because someone is pronouncing something differently it's purely out of ignorance. I can respect that, no hard feelings?

 

[RandomWiktor]

No hard feelings at all. I understand your point fully; I guess the only reason I don't 100% agree is that people mispronouncing the word here is not a matter of dialect, but more a matter of just not knowing it. I live in a very culturally diverse area, and I wouldn't hold a different pronunciation against someone because it is how thier dialect changes the word. It is mostly people who are mispronouncing it according to thier dialect that people tend to have a problem with, as I mentioned above, because it changes the meaning of the word.

Anyways, I think we both have different opinions on the matter, but I respect yours since you are in to dialects are are clearly very open to all pronunciations. I'm done being O/T now

 

[lljdma06]

Perhaps this will be useful. I googled pronunciation for Biological Latin and came up with this site.

http/www.saltspring.com/capewest/pron.htm

This subject has always been difficult for me, since I also study Liturgical Latin Pronunciation for singing and it is very, very different from taxonomic Latin. The vowels are much more pure and have none of the colors often found in English, which is often the case with taxonomic Latin. Consonants are also very different. The guide above is inconsistant, but as was stated above, Biological latin is prone to dialect variances, and the Latin used for this purpose is far removed from the Latin used in the church liturgy and very much Anglosized (sp). Current tradition calls for the open E as in the word Bet rather than the closed E as in the word chaotic, but this is under debate and some recommend a combination of closed and open E positions. So I guess Behtah is ultimately correct, not Behtuh, but Behtah, with a more strong "a" as in Father sound rather than the typical nondescript "uh" or "schwa" sound found in a non-stressed syllible in English. I also tend to put a double consonant stop when I say it and I dentalize my ts, which makes them sound a little softer, but it's my Italianate tendancies in Latin pronunciation coming through. So I say Beht:tah, which is an odd pronunciation of the word, but perhaps a little closer to the original Latin pronunciation. It probably doesn't even matter, we all know we're talking about the fish! As long as we spell it right, we'll be fine. But I don't walk away in disdain if it's not pronounced correctly. I'm sure in Ancient Rome, they'd all be laughing at the way we butcher their language.

 

[flautist]

Perhaps this will be useful. I googled pronunciation for Biological Latin and came up with this site.

http/www.saltspring.com/capewest/pron.htm

This subject has always been difficult for me, since I also study Liturgical Latin Pronunciation for singing and it is very, very different from taxonomic Latin. The vowels are much more pure and have none of the colors often found in English, which is often the case with taxonomic Latin. Consonants are also very different. The guide above is inconsistant, but as was stated above, Biological latin is prone to dialect variances, and the Latin used for this purpose is far removed from the Latin used in the church liturgy and very much Anglosized (sp). Current tradition calls for the open E as in the word Bet rather than the closed E as in the word chaotic, but this is under debate and some recommend a combination of closed and open E positions. So I guess Behtah is ultimately correct, not Behtuh, but Behtah, with a more strong "a" as in Father sound rather than the typical nondescript "uh" or "schwa" sound found in a non-stressed syllible in English. I also tend to put a double consonant stop when I say it and I dentalize my ts, which makes them sound a little softer, but it's my Italianate tendancies in Latin pronunciation coming through. So I say Beht:tah, which is an odd pronunciation of the word, but perhaps a little closer to the original Latin pronunciation. It probably doesn't even matter, we all know we're talking about the fish! As long as we spell it right, we'll be fine. But I don't walk away in disdain if it's not pronounced correctly. I'm sure in Ancient Rome, they'd all be laughing at the way we butcher their language.

So interesting. I used to be a vocal major, so I sang a lot of italian and latin. You are correct in that it should be beht:tah to be completely correct.