Ummm..a question that must be asked....

[Molch]

....since Oma arrives tomorrow and I will have to explain my newts:

...just how on earth does a polite person pronounce "apuanus"?

 

[Kaysie]

Having little classical Latin training, I pronounce it "newt".

Try 'app puh ann us'. That leaves out any chance of fecal contamination.

 

[Mark]

Kaysie's right. Stick to "ann us" as in "annus horribilis".

Thinking about it though.... does Oma really care about the scientific name of her roomies? Will the correct pronunciation of "Ichthyosaura alpestris apuanus" be at the forefront of her mind when she finds one crawling under her bedsheets?

 

[Azhael]

What kind of person finds something crawling under the bedsheet and not automatically require to know it´s scientific name and the correct pronunciation? Maybe you are one of those weirdos...those freaks...that just kill it on sight and flick it off the bed.

My contribution to how to pronounce apuanus is just to pronounce both "u" as if they were the "oo" in "goose", rather than the "u" in "us". English phonetics are like ancient aramaic to me, i just don´t have a clue how it works...in my mind it´s something like "ah-poo-ann-oose" xD

 

[Molch]

thanks all!
"apuanus" has long been stuck in my head in a pronounciation I would not utter in polite society.

Oma is quite scientifically minded and will want to know how my alpine newts differ from the ones she has in her garden pond (L. v. vulgaris and I.a..alpestris), so the apuanus word will have to be uttered at some point

 

[aeviette]

I'd stick a big long aaaah on the -anus. Just to be on the safe side. Now that would sound bad out of context. And -us like the middle of 'mush' rather than, y'know, the other -us.
My not very extensive classical Latin training is not recoiling in horror, so just as long as there's no 'a' as in 'gate' you'll be fine.

 

[aeviette]

-bit like 'agnus' (dei) Italian style (not English ag-nus) if that helps.

...Yeah, sorry, medievalist. :s

 

[mewsie]

But, no matter how you pronounce it, Oma will probably think

*snigger... that could sound like ANUS* anyway.

 

[aeviette]

Love the new profile picture, Mewsie! <3

 

[memojo1979]

Herro?????