Re: DINOSAUR digest 1347

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/8/00 6:11:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Dinogeorge@aol.com writes:

> Best choice of name would probably have been Stenometatarsalia (from 
"narrow 
> 
>  metatarsals"), since all the roots are Greek. Also Steinometatarsalia 
(from 
>  "confined, squeezed metatarsals"; the -ei- is, I believe, not a 
>  diphthong--the two vowels are pronounced separately). Other Greek prefixes 
>  are also possible.

"ei" is a spurious diphthong: it was actually a single vowel, pronounced as a 
long, closed "e" [sort of like "way"], as opposed to the open "e" [like 
"bet", but long] represented by eta.  By late Classical times the 
pronunciation of "ei" had shifted to a long "i" [as in "key"].

In the interest of simplicity, I probably would have gone with Stenopoda 
"narrow feet" or Stenotarsi, since (as I just learned myself) Greek "tarso's" 
properly refers to the flat of the foot, rather than the ankle.

--Nick P.