Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have just added a new webpage to my site which offers the correct pronunciations of every currently recognized Varanid species. I know that most of you out there(myself included) are/have butchered the pronunciation of scientific names. I created this page with the intentions of helping clear up some confusion and incertainties. I hope some of you find this resource helpful.

I would have to say that Black Tree Monitors get butchered most frequently. I have yet to see a monitor species mispelled and mispronounced as frequently as Varanus beccarii. I have seen beccari, becarri, becarrii, and becari...

The proper spelling is Varanis beccarii, and is pronounced(as you can also see on the page): "bek-are-ee-eye"

Cheers folks, I hope some of you find it interesting and resourceful. Take care, have a great day.

Bob
treemonitors.com
Varanus Species Pronunciations

you said, this is the proper spelling, Varanis. Hmmmmmmmm

Also, there is a huge difference between spelling and pronunciation. Theres also a huge difference between how americans correctly say these words and other countries correctly use these words. I would imagine only the folks at the Vactican say them correctly. FR

yes, I typed an i instead of the u... how ironic... hahaha. the keys are right next to eachother...

As for the pronunciations, the scientific names are in Latin,(a "dead" language, which doesn't change or evolve) which is a universal language used collectively by biologists world-wide. There is no such thing as American Latin, or French Latin, or German Latin. Latin is Latin. Therefore your statement of pronunciations changing depending on where you are in the world is inaccurate, as latin does not change; there are no other ways of speaking latin. Either that, or I have misunderstood your argument.

Of course, this is all part of taxonomy, a science, so I guess this post is inapropriate to begin with... Perhaps I should take my post elsewhere, where varanid enthusiasts and hobbyists will never see it?

Scientific nomenclature is LATIN and latin is a dead language, and is not spoken anymore, Hmmmmmm I did not know that(with tougue in cheek) I wonder what they speak in the vactican. I wonder???????? Look into this for me, would you?

About how its spoken and how its supposed to be spoken are entirely two different things(actually way more then two). For instance, if you would actually go somewhere, you would notice that herpers, of all types(including academics), say the same words differently. Specially country to country. But then you actually have to go to different countries to experience that. I guess the only person to ask what pronunciation is right would be the pope, he still speaks it.

Whats wrong with science? I love science, use it all that time, in fact almost everything said and done here is science. Of course, I do not think one should apply theory to subjects that already have results. Which means, are no longer theory. I also do not believe, comparing apples to oranges is science. In fact, its not. Using scientific information out of context is not scientific, not at all. Is it???????????

Of course Bob, I understood it was a typo, but it was funny in its placement. Don't you think it was funny? FR

Actually, Frank is correct. There is considerable variation in how Latin names are pronounced, even though the spelling (for the most part) is uniform. I was trained in the classics (4 years of Latin in HS). When I entered science, I found the many of the profs pronounced names considerably different from the way I had learned Latin pronunciation. I considered them to be "barbarians" as the Romans would say).

For example the letter "i" is NEVER prnounced "eye" in true Latin, but "ee". Americans and Brits seem to have the most "barbaric" pronunciation. If you want to hear names pronounced correctly, listen to a Spanish or Italian-speaking person pronounce them.

listen to a Spanish or Italian-speaking person pronounce them.

or french!!

you forgot the hardest subspecies name ever- griseus koniecznyi. im not going to attempt it. you shouldn't either with your LAWN-GUYLIN (long island) accent. i know my STATIN ALLEN (staten island) accent is legendary. cheers, - john anthony (JAWN ANT NEE)
cybersalvator.com

hey John,

yes, I did leave out subspecies, perhaps I will include themm as well. I do plan on eventually putting up the common names for each species, but I thought that the actual pronunciations would be fun and interesting to see. Of course, unfortunately there are those, who take the fun out of things, and put the anus in Varanus..... how sad..

Cheers John, talk to you later.

Bob
TREEMONITORS.COM

haha

Thanks Jody. By the way, did you contact D n J for a female togianus? -John Antonius
cybersalvator.com

I contacted them awhile back and they said they didn't have any togians.

Thats right John,
Varanus Koniezbvcifdjoipsdfjvds is the worst to spell and pronounce. It is named after a russian I believe....
cheers,
markb

The Indian Desert Monitor was named by Robert Mertens after M. G. Konieczny, a friend of Mertens, who collected specimens for him in Baluchistan. Mertens, although German, was born in Russia.

Depending who your talking to or where your from or your accent everyone will say it differently. But I believe we all get the gist of what species they are talking about.

Like your mispelling or typo of varanus.

Just wondering why the correct pronunciation of the scientific name is important? It might be important if your doing school work, or atleast to the teacher anyways.

Well I have a point, Who cares?? After all the used (so called correct) pronunciation isn't even close to the way Latin is actually pronounced.

Pronounce the Latin names any way that works for you. If someone doesn't like how you pronounced them well just do what I do, say some other words in clear english to them you can pronounce. haha

I wish I could agre with you Jody, But me and my fiends here in Alabama don't always quite use proper english.
We call it American with a nice slow drawl. The way it should be used.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Maybe because the
pet shop' names changed with the wind, the common names are often not used, which can also change, but the scientific latin names 'hardly ever' change...?

markb

but still not the best reason for correct pronunciation.
If that was what he was getting at then why not just say here is the list of scientific names.

Instead it was made clear it was about how to correctly pronounce them. Sort of like a teacher telling his students.

I wanted to see what his point for thinking he needed to do so. As I stated above even the so called correct way is still not the way the language was meant to be used.

I wanted to see why he thought it important I called croc monitors, sal-vah-dor-ee-eye instead of sal-vah-dor-ee

Maybe he wished me to know the gender of the researcher it is named after? In some cases it helps learn about the species, where they come from, what color they are, what they eat, etc. But sadly with most it just tells me the name of someone who found it (researcher, biologist, importer,etc.)

I really couldn't care less how you pronounce a species. I am not the grammar police. I am not forcing anybody to do anything.

I put this resource up on my site for the people who enjoy learning as much as they can about a species, regardless of how trivial it may be. While you may have no need to look at the page, you do not speak for everyone, as I am sure there are some keepers/enthusiasts out there who are curious about how to say some of the more 'difficult' species to pronounce.

As for my opinion, if was going to be referring to an animal by its specific name, I do not see why I would want to spell it or pronounce it wrong? Does it really require the extra effort? Why would anybody want to be less edumucated??? Is it that painful to learn how to spell and pronounce a name correctly? But that is just me.

Like I said, you all can spell or speak however you want. I for one, will choose to say each species according to their nomenclature. I'm sorry putting up such a webpage has upset so many of you.

Cheers,

Bob

Hey we all appreciate your webpage man! Relax! Keep on writing ALOT!!!!!

Yes i really like your webpage, very informational. I, for one, appreciate your new page of names and spelling, thank you

I don't really care for the list of names even though its so cool, its more his passion for "tree" monitors that keep that soul burning on for me

Why would anybody want to be less edumucated???

The thing is I seem to be more edumucated then you sir. I realize that the so called correct way as you put it, is not the correct way of pronouncing latin.

Here is an example for you "veni, vidi, vici":

Church Latin vaynee, veedee, veechee

Real Latin waynee, weedee, weekee

Again I will stick with "Pronounce the Latin names any way that works for you. If someone doesn't like how you pronounced them well just do what I do, say some other words in clear english to them you can pronounce."

You can stick to the shameless plugs. Seems a few like it anyways. But do not post on an open forum and expect no discussions, or disagreements.

The point is to get traffic on his website (which is very nice), kinda like the cork tile post was to generate sales for something you could get for half the price at Home Depot.
I'm one of those unedumucated folks that always struggles with latin (english too).

it was an act of shameless self promotion. (which is fine)

But why act out when your disagreed with is beyond me.
After all he is so edumucated why not let his wrath of wisdom lash out upon us disagreeing less edumucated souls. hahahaha

Oh BTW you can get them cork tiles off the net even cheaper then home depot.

Get it straight man!

Disagreeing doesn't mean you are unedumucated, it means you put the anus in varanus.

Not knowing latin means you are unedumucated.

Sheesh.....

I just saved a buttload of money on my cork! Bobby's cork tile ENTREE-PUNNEWER_SHIP is gone to the birds.

"the cool looking black one" haha kidding
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Ed

These heat lamps make my electric bill to high.

My old suppier in Ghana would pronounce it "Voord-anua-cus"

Beccarii? Damn, I thought it was Bacardi.
I was thinking of getting one and naming it 151.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.