Pronunciation

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/17/99 12:01:41 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
wuckus@ecol.net writes:

> To Dinogeorge: Is there any "official" body that decides
>  these things?

'fraid not.  If there's one thing I learned from SVP last month, it's that 
scientific discourse is fundamentally a written language.  I heard more 
pronunciations there than I ever thought possible (or at least likely), in 
everything from "autapomorphy" to "_Giganotosaurus_" to "Diplodocidae"--and 
don't even get me started on "Ceratop(s)ia"!

I just pick a pronunciation that sounds nice and that jibes reasonably well 
with conventions for Anglicized Latin.  I don't think it matters much, as 
long as people understand what you're talking (or more often writing) about.  
Take heart: whatever pronunciation you may chance upon, there is almost 
certainly some professional out there who pronounces it the same way.

--Nick P.