How to pronounce scientific names?
- Thread starter Big Mike
- Start date
Among biologists (those of us who do it for a living anyway) only the most pedantic or OCD correct other's pronunciation of scientific names. This is because a) Latin is a dead language and even linguists are not entirely sure what the correct pronunciation was, b) differing spoken dialects existed within Latin, and c) genera names and species epithets are not actually Latin words anyway. The Jepson manual of higher plants (the definitive scientific resource listing every known wild species of plant in California) has a funny section in the forward that says the correct response to anyone who corrects your pronunciation of a scientific name is "a smile and a knowing nod".
What I do hate is when people capitalize both the genus name AND the specific epithet, or even worse, subspecies. All the time in hobby naturalism (fish, birding, etc.) I see people write, for example, Danio Rerio instead of the correct Danio rerio. It's a little thing but as annoying to me as people who do not understand what is and is not a proper noun and capitalize nouns all crazy.
What I do hate is when people capitalize both the genus name AND the specific epithet, or even worse, subspecies. All the time in hobby naturalism (fish, birding, etc.) I see people write, for example, Danio Rerio instead of the correct Danio rerio. It's a little thing but as annoying to me as people who do not understand what is and is not a proper noun and capitalize nouns all crazy.
Seriously, this is the correct answer. I'm going to check my Jepson for that btw, never noticed. It's down in the garage. Just read it phonetically and you're golden.
