I love crinum and have been collecting a bit. About 4 bulbs. (Just found out though that they are a bit snooty and mostly don't bloom until they've settled down for a couple of years and I'm probably (hoping to) moving in 2 years so, add it all up and it'll be about 4-6 years before I see blooms!)
Anyway, I'm wandering.
Do you pronouce the "i" sounding like the "i" in indian (as I have)
or as I was corrected
like a long "i" as the "i" in: "I" was so embarassed.
Thanks y'all.
How do I say Crinum?
Cr (like in crash) - in (like the word)-um (like uummmm I dont know)
I have always been told the i was as in "I"
That's how I said it, but this person corrected me and said the "i" was a long vowel as in "line".
Thanks for the confirmation. :-)
Oh I have some that have bloomed in 1 year from planting so they are not all fussy.
Oops. We crossed. Well, that 2 for each side.
2 for long vowel "i"
2 for short vowel "i"
I'll see if Websters online says anything useful.
crinum as in "cry me a river"
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crinum
Here they say cry-num
I got the short i from a Dallas master Gardener lesson... ummm
The pronouncing dictionary I have, from the American Nurseryman, says it is the long "i" like cry.
Well, cross posting again and still getting diff sounds.
This message was edited Dec 12, 2008 5:08 PM
alice, how do I access your dictionary? There are many plants that I'm unsure as to how to pronounce and could certainly use this resource.
3gardeners, same for you. do you have a link?
uh oh....I'm bad about correcting. Once had the audacity to correct FIL and that was the dirtiest look I've EVER gotten, lol. I was correct but he found it rude plus out of place since I'm a "girl" and girls know nothing, lol. Bless his heart. Bless my heart.
I've now checked 3 different "dictionary type" sites that sound it out for you and they all pronounce it with a "cry" sound at the beginning. I've always said it the other way. I now know for sure and will try to re-train my brain and say "cry-num" from now on. (But I still won't EVER correct someone in public!)
Thank you all for your quick responces and have a great weekend!
It is just a little pocket sized book that I picked up many years ago. This is an updated version.
http://www.gardenshoponline.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=146
Hi All,
I was told (way too MANY years ago to mention) that Latin vowels are always long: so, A as in Day, E as in Need, I (indeed) as in Cry, O as in Go-Go, and U as in Use. The only fly in the ointment is the people around you who don't pronounce them like that! LOL!
Personally, I think it is more important that we spell the words right than any thing else. So long as we agree on WHAT we are discussing, the rest is secondary.
Also, the DG Plant Files pages all have pronunciation guides on the pages. I seriously WANT/SLAVER/COVET this CRY-num! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/90355/
Ciao, KK.
I just saw this thread, sorry to be late to the discussion. I found a free guide that I use all the time for Botanical Latin. It's an audio pronunciation guide to plants. It doesn't have every plant known to man but it is still very useful. They pronounce Crinum as KRY-NUM. As in Cry.
http://www.finegardening.com/pguide/pronunciation-guide-to-botanical-latin.aspx
Dyane
Thank Dyane, I have been looking for that for quite awhile. I'm terrible with the Latin names. Mostly because I don't want to learn them.
O dear , I been pronouncing it the other way. What's new. LOL But I am so glad to have found this thread. A sweetheart last year gave me about 8 of them , rhyzomes and I planted them and they are the prettiest foliage about a foot tall, last year and this. But no blooms. I'm glad to know maybe in the spring. Maybe they were waiting for me to learn how to say their name correctly. :)
Debbie
(((((Debbie)))))))))
Hi sweet Kim. I have been quietly enjoying your beautiful garden this year. Such a joy. (((hugs)))
Hi Debbie,
So glad to hear from you. Debbie, my crinums didn't bloom so well this year either. Only one group, the others skipped flowering this year.
Good to hear from you too Kim. I'm looking forward to my surprises this spring. But even without blooms, the foliage has been so pretty and a great addition to my beds. Thank you sweet friend.
Debbie