Latin pronounciation
Tom Mitchell (Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:34:33 PST)

As someone who scored 17% in his final high school Latin exam, I'm
not really qualified to have an opinion. However, I have two problem
names, on which I'd be interested to hear opinions, to throw into the
mix. My Dutch wife pronounces the 'foe' in Helleborus foetidus to
rhyme with 'so', whereas I pronounce it the British way to rhyme with
'see'. What's the consensus? My other question relates to Fuchsia.
Should one say 'Fook-sia' or 'Phew-sha'?

International misunderstandings as a result of Latin pronunciation
are common. A Danish botanist friend of mine says that his greatest
difficulty at international conferences comes when he has to talk
about the genus Pinus, which in Denmark is said 'pee-noose'...

I can't resist repeating my favourite Latin story, completely off-
topic, which was told to me by a friend who cycled the pilgrimage
route to Santiago de Compostela. On arrival, pilgrims are apparently
granted a dispensation from the Pope, written in Latin of course,
absolving them of their sins. My friend's husband therefore became
'Darrylibus' and she became 'Rachelus'. What a versatile language!