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Thread: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

  1. #1

    Default how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    i am a self taught man, so all my information comes from books. i have always been curious how to pronounce those two things

    i assume pyrrhus is pie-rus and canae is can-eye, but then there is the phrase phyrric victory, and that makes me wonder if its fy-rus

    seems to be a few history buffs here, so i thought i'd ask
    Last edited by Callahan9119; 05-11-2008 at 22:45.
    And when the brazen cry of achilles
    Was heard among the trojans, all their hearts
    Were troubled, and the full-maned horses whirled
    The chariots backward, knowing griefs at hand...

  2. #2
    NOBAΛO AYΣE Member Ayce's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Native pronounciation: pee-ros (pee-raws) and cah-neh (like Cannes in french but add a pronounced e at the end)

    Anglicized: don't know pyrrhus, but canae would be canay (usually)

  3. #3

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    thanks, your sig is creepy
    And when the brazen cry of achilles
    Was heard among the trojans, all their hearts
    Were troubled, and the full-maned horses whirled
    The chariots backward, knowing griefs at hand...

  4. #4

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Yeah I know I've seen them before, it gives u the feeling that the person could enter your pc without a problem and hack your bank account and stuff like that.

  5. #5

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by Shabby_Ronin
    i am a self taught man, so all my information comes from books. i have always been curious how to pronounce those two things

    i assume pyrrhus is pie-rus and canae is can-eye, but then there is the phrase phyrric victory, and that makes me wonder if its fy-rus

    seems to be a few history buffs here, so i thought i'd ask
    Pier-ic victory.
    "I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams." -Hamlet, II, ii

    "Historians and others attempt to pin the tail on the reluctant monkey of change." -excerpt from a real college essay, from Ignorance is Blitz by Anders Henriksson

  6. #6

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    The problem with 'phonetic' descriptions of words (e.g. I pronounce pyrrhic "pirrick") is that even these broken down elements may end up being pronounced differently depending on where you're from.

    You can find descriptions on pronunciation using more standardised phonetic alphabets to represent the actual sounds, but presumably you cannot actually understand them (I certainly can't) without being taught by someone who can actually produce the sounds as a demonstration (otherwise you run into the same problem).

    In any case, I can confidently tell you that the P in Pyrrhus is hard, not soft (fyrrhus).

  7. #7
    Krusader's Nemesis Member abou's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by Shabby_Ronin
    i am a self taught man, so all my information comes from books. i have always been curious how to pronounce those two things

    i assume pyrrhus is pie-rus and canae is can-eye, but then there is the phrase phyrric victory, and that makes me wonder if its fy-rus

    seems to be a few history buffs here, so i thought i'd ask
    Pyrrhus
    The Latin Y at the time stood for the Greek Upsilon, which had a sound similar to the German U in über if long and French U in tu if short. In the actual Greek, it would have an -os ending with the Omicron pronounced similar to the O in go. The H in the name indicates an aspiration of the vowel before it. it is pretty subtle and I doubt anyone would call you out on it if you didn't include it.

    Pyr'rhos.


    Cannae
    Mostly correct how you have it, but you forgot the second N.

    Can'nae
    Last edited by abou; 05-12-2008 at 01:44.

  8. #8

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    actually in ancient greek of the time it would be PU-RRHOS. (double R must be intonated as such)

    The adjective should be Pyrrhic. I really don't know where that h after the P came from, I guess it got transfered from the end.


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  9. #9
    Member Member CrownOfSwords's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    No "ae" in latin sounds like "aye" in english Cannae is properly pronounced as Can naye

  10. #10

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    thanks guys, so i was about right with cannae, and i wouldnt be called a dunce by saying pie-rus? for a dumb american
    And when the brazen cry of achilles
    Was heard among the trojans, all their hearts
    Were troubled, and the full-maned horses whirled
    The chariots backward, knowing griefs at hand...

  11. #11
    Krusader's Nemesis Member abou's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by keravnos
    actually in ancient greek of the time it would be PU-RRHOS. (double R must be intonated as such)
    How do you pronounce two Rs like that?

    Quote Originally Posted by CrownOfSwords
    No "ae" in latin sounds like "aye" in english Cannae is properly pronounced as Can naye
    Aye in English sounds the same as eye in English.

  12. #12
    master of the wierd people Member Ibrahim's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    I stand by abou on this one.
    anyways, the sig for Ayce s my ISP address. he's had it there for a month and a half now (much to my annoyance) .
    I was once alive, but then a girl came and took out my ticker.

    my 4 year old modding project--nearing completion: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=219506 (if you wanna help, join me).

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  13. #13
    Krusader's Nemesis Member abou's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by Ibrahim
    anyways, the sig for Ayce s my ISP address. he's had it there for a month and a half now (much to my annoyance) .
    That's not how his sig works. Ayce doesn't even know what your IP would be as it only displays for each individual person viewing the webpage their own statistics.

    For example, when I view I see my own stats and no one else's.

  14. #14

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    The greek word for Pyrrhus is Πύρρος and in modern Greek is pronounced Piros.
    But in ancient times it must have been PU-RRHOS, as keravnos said.

    The name comes from the word πυρ that means fire.
    The first to have that name was the son of Achilles, because of the colour of his hair that was red like the fire. He was the one who founded the kingdom of Epeiros.

  15. #15
    Krusader's Nemesis Member abou's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Right, but how can there be two Rs pronounced like that? Everything I know of Greek and Latin, in fact linguistics, points to the first R closing the first syllable: Pyr'rhos.

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    Member Member Cartaphilus's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by pcaravel
    The name comes from the word πυρ that means fire.
    A word of clear indoeuropean origin.
    "Iustitia procurat pacem et iniuria bellum, humilia verba sunt nuntii pacis et superba, belli." (Ramon Llull)

  17. #17
    NOBAΛO AYΣE Member Ayce's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Would it have any link with pure/purify?

  18. #18

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by abou
    Right, but how can there be two Rs pronounced like that? Everything I know of Greek and Latin, in fact linguistics, points to the first R closing the first syllable: Pyr'rhos.
    This comes from me saying "pur'rhos, purrhos" a few times, and as such is hardly an extensive study, but I think it may lengthen the r rather than roll it. Although rolling it is another possibility.

    Ayce's IP thing is of especial interest to me because it gives a different ISP to the one I actually pay. I suspect subcontracting.

  19. #19

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by abou
    Right, but how can there be two Rs pronounced like that? Everything I know of Greek and Latin, in fact linguistics, points to the first R closing the first syllable: Pyr'rhos.
    I'm not 100% sure about greek, but if it's a geminate r, then it probably indicates a trill as opposed to a flap. Trills are notorious for being ambisyllabic. I believe the 'h' indicates that the rhotic (whether it is a trill or flap) is voiceless.

  20. #20

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by Maeran
    You can find descriptions on pronunciation using more standardised phonetic alphabets to represent the actual sounds, but presumably you cannot actually understand them (I certainly can't) without being taught by someone who can actually produce the sounds as a demonstration (otherwise you run into the same problem).
    If you learn the principles underlying phonetic alphabets then it's fairly easy to reproduce some version of most sounds with a little practice. You just have to pay attention to where your tongue is in your mouth.

  21. #21
    NOBAΛO AYΣE Member Ayce's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by Maeran
    This comes from me saying "pur'rhos, purrhos" a few times, and as such is hardly an extensive study, but I think it may lengthen the r rather than roll it. Although rolling it is another possibility.

    Ayce's IP thing is of especial interest to me because it gives a different ISP to the one I actually pay. I suspect subcontracting.
    Hmm, the way it's written forces me to pronounce that r as a trill.

    I don't know about your ISP, but mine's SMN, and it gives me Jump Network Services SRL (Ltd.), but that's because SMN is part of InterLAN and Jump Network Services provides the hardware for this association of service providers.

    EDIT: Doesn't anyone know if πυρ is linked with pure/purity?
    Last edited by Ayce; 05-12-2008 at 16:06.

  22. #22
    Member Member Cartaphilus's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by Ayce
    Would it have any link with pure/purify?
    I don't know exactly the etymology of his latin ancestor "purus".
    But it would be possible that the roman term "purus" have some ancient connexion with pyr and so with fire.

    There are two indoeuropean words for fire, *péH₂wr̥- (bonfire), and *H₁égni- (fire). Some languages chose between them, or some chose both for different terms.
    Latin chose the second, "ignis". But maybe "purus" came from the first. I don't know.
    But greek chose the first - pyr.
    Last edited by Cartaphilus; 05-12-2008 at 17:06.
    "Iustitia procurat pacem et iniuria bellum, humilia verba sunt nuntii pacis et superba, belli." (Ramon Llull)

  23. #23

    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Æ æ æ æ æ æ æ æ æ æ !

    I say "firrick" and "Kanne". Pretty much how it sounds.

  24. #24
    Member Member Cyclops's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    I say piros, pirick victory and can-ay.

    Is that h in pyrrhos ever pronounced as an "i" sound? I understand "Ieraclis" is one possible pronounciation for Herakles. Of course thats an initial h, maybe there's diff'rent rules for such things.
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    master of the wierd people Member Ibrahim's Avatar
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    Default Re: how do you pronounce pyrrhus and canae

    Quote Originally Posted by abou
    That's not how his sig works. Ayce doesn't even know what your IP would be as it only displays for each individual person viewing the webpage their own statistics.

    For example, when I view I see my own stats and no one else's.
    that explains why everyone laughs when I complain that my ISP is on the internet for all to see...guess the joke's on me-again
    I was once alive, but then a girl came and took out my ticker.

    my 4 year old modding project--nearing completion: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=219506 (if you wanna help, join me).

    tired of ridiculous trouble with walking animations? then you need my brand newmotion capture for the common man!

    "We have proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if we put the belonging to, in the I don't know what, all gas lines will explode " -alBernameg

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