Botanical pronunciation guide?

[Sylvie]

I am looking for a botanical pronunciation guide.
My sister had a great book that she picked up at a yard sale, but since lent it out and that was the end of it.
It had the older key that was easy to read. For instance, Campanula would be kam-PAN-yew-luh, instead of internet symbols we don't recognize.
An audio version would also be great.

Anyone recommend a source? It needs to be portable for a workshop in the field, so looking up each plant online won't work.

 

[digitS']

These sort of things interest me, Sylvie . . . in an academic sort of way. As a hearing-impaired person, I learn to pronounce new words with great difficulty. So , it is becoming all academic.

I am guessing that you need an online source (if you want the audio) and you have a mobile device for web access. Or, do you want a disc? I don't know about those.

Here are 2 online sources: one that I came across and one that was recommended:

Fine Gardening

Michael Charters, Calflora

I hope those help.

Steve

 

[Southern Gardener]

I have a small book thats called "The Pronouncing Dictionary of Plant Names" It does have the easy to read keys. Here is the info on it:

American Nurseryman Publishing Co.
800-621-5727

amerinursery.com

Joan

 

[hoodat]

In both botany and biology there is commonly accepted usage but they purposely avoided having official pronunciations so that those speaking different languages would not have trouble with pronunciation.

 

[patandchickens]

I can understand wanting to pronounce things the way other people do.

HOWEVER, there is no actual right/wrong, just convention, and for an awful lot of names there is more than one commonly-used pronunciation.

So, really, as I always told my students in Aquatic Invertebrates and other biology classes, it is fine to just pick a pronunciation and say it boldly and confidently and not worry about it. However you choose to pronounce a name, rest assured there are some other people in the world saying it the same way. If someone questions or corrects you, just smile happily and say "well, that's what *I* learned to call it".



Pat

 

[simple life]

Good to know, since I have been recently corrected on my pronounciation of Peony but then heard someone else say it exactly the way I do and I didn't know who was right or wrong anymore.