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Pronunciation of Family Names

THE NAMES OF ZOOLOGICAL FAMILIES ARE, FOR THE MOST part, derived from Latin and Greek roots and always end in -idae. There are, of course, rules for the pronunciation of these names derived from the original language. Some of these rules are listed as follows: 1. All vowels are pronounced. 2. Diphthongs (two vowels written together) are pronounced as a single vowel. 3. Ch is pronounced as k if it is derived from a Greek word. 4. When c is followed by ae, e, oe, i, or y, it is pronounced as a soft s as in "cell"; however, when it is followed by a, o, oi, or , it has the hard k sound as in "call." 5. G, when followed by ae, e, i, oe, or y, has the soft; sound as in "gel," but when followed by a, o, oi, or u it is pronounced as in "go." 6. Scientific names beginning with ps, pt, ct, gn^ or mn are pronounced as if the first letter were not there; however, the first letter is sounded if these combinations appear in the middle of a word. 7. X is pronounced as z in the beginning of a word but as ks elsewhere. 8. In family names the major accent is on the antepenult (the third syllable from the end of the word)^the syllable before -idae. There may be a secondary accent on a syllable near the beginning of a very long word. 9. The vowel of the antepenult is short where it is followed by a consonant, except where the vowel is u, 10. The vowel of the antepenult is long where it is followed by another vowel.

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PRONUCIATION OF FAMILY NAMES

For a detailed exposition of these and other rules and for a source of word roots, consult Borror (1960). Steyskal (1980) provided a list of family names that he considered to be in need of correction to bring them into compliance with the Rules of Zoological Nomenclature or Latin grammar. These rules are not inflexible, however, and due consideration should be given to accepted usage as well as to the classically correct way. For example, many ichthyologists would pronounce the Amiidae as "a'-me-i-de," which is closer to the generic name on which it is based, but Webster's New International Dictionary (2nd ed.) lists the classically correct "a-mi'-i-de." The accent and the a and / sounds are different in the two pronunciations. A similar pronunciation difference exists with the Galaxiidae and most other family names which have an / before the -idae ending. For the first edition of this book in 1981, George S. Myers was kind enough to send me his pronunciations of the families. He explained that his usage, as well as that of Carl L. Hubbs, was derived from David Starr Jordan, who was a noted classicist. Jordan, in turn, based his pronunciations on botanists who used an Americanized pronunciation. In the text I have given the classical pronunciation and syllabification in parentheses if listed in Webster's, If it is substantially the same as the Jordan-Hubbs-Myers version, only one pronunciation is listed. If there are significant differences in pronunciation, I list both, with the latter in brackets. If the family name or its root is not in Webster's^ I give just the Jordan-Flubbs-Myers method in brackets. Where the Jordan-Hubbs-Myers pronunciation is different, it is usually an attempt to make the family name sound more like its generic base by placing the major accent on the fourth syllable from the end rather than on the antepenult.

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