Is it pronounced "Naha" or "Naja" like it's written? I have heard it both ways. Thanks Sean
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Pronounce Naja
Cobra7
Aug 12, 2004 06:52 PM
Replies (4)
PhilodryasFAN
Aug 13, 2004 07:01 PM
I think the correctly pronounciation is "Naia", because in latin don´t exist "J", and is "i".
Cheers,
Bothrops
anuraanman
Aug 13, 2004 11:23 PM
i hear it simply said as 'naja'. then if you ask a person how to pronounce 'ambystoma' you'll get a different answer every time so that may depend on who you ask or who their teacher was. taxonimists can never seem to agree on anything :-p
WW
Aug 14, 2004 03:19 AM
>>Is it pronounced "Naha" or "Naja" like it's written? I have heard it both ways. Thanks Sean
Etymologically, the correct pronounciation is Nah-yah - as was noted by PhilodryasFAN, there is no J in latin, and it should be pronounced as "i". Also, this is the common name of the Indian cobra in Sinhalese (majority language of Sri Lanka, where the specimen that formed the basis for the original description came from), which is another clue (and very convenient if you are there on holiday and want to ask about your favourite snake without having to remember a complicated local name 
)
Cheers,
WW
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bachman
Aug 16, 2004 09:45 PM
different ways, depending on who I'm talking to at the time. nIya is proper....I think.
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CB
"I'm a truckin bassmole, and proud of it"
