Snakely Speaking

[Stefan-A]

And what kinds of snakes besides garters give live birth?

Many other colubrids, nearly all viperids and boas.

[EasternGirl]

Interesting...I did not know that about boas. Most people I meet do not know that garters give life birth.

[snakehill]

Boas! Sorry late post! (my computer sucks!!!!)

[katach]

What would be the term for a snake with an overwhelming amount of red coloring?

[guidofatherof5]

Nova
Sorry, I just had to.

[PINJOHN]

Steve i noticed back in this thread you expressed a hope that someone would get around to putting down the correct pronunciation of the various garter Greek/Latin names ........but alas so far nothing

[guidofatherof5]

Correct and what is used may be two different things.
I know I pronounce radix different then a lot of other members.
I pronounce it rad ix and they same raid ix.
Who's right? I don't really know.


♫You say eether and I say eyether,
You say neether and I say nyther,
Eether, eyether, neether, nyther,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto,
You like tomato and I like tomahto,
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let's call the whole thing off!

[PINJOHN]

good god Steve you even type out of tune

[chris-uk]

I know I pronounce radix different then a lot of other members.
I pronounce it rad ix and they same raid ix.
Who's right? I don't really know.

With Latin names there are definite right and wrong pronunciations, but my Latin knowledge is limited to that necessary to study sciences, not Latin. I think you have radix right Steve, else it would be raedix.
More interesting is what the plural is... I can't decide on radi or radixes.

[Stefan-A]

With Latin names there are definite right and wrong pronunciations, but my Latin knowledge is limited to that necessary to study sciences, not Latin. I think you have radix right Steve, else it would be raedix.
More interesting is what the plural is... I can't decide on radi or radixes.

In principle, there are. Scientific names are supposed to follow the rules of New Latin, which has some rules I find fundamentally silly compared to Classical Latin. For example there are rules for when "c" is pronounced like "s" or "k" in New Latin, but in Classical Latin "c" is always "k", which works much better with scientific names that are of Greek origin. "Cerastes", for example would be roughly "serastes" according to New Latin, but "kerastes" in Classical Latin. The root word? Greek: κεράστης, "kerastis".

Ra-dix (long "a" sound) should be right. The plural form of Thamnophis radix should be Thamnophis radix. If you need to refer to several individuals of the species Thamnophis radix, this is how you'd go about making it clear that you are talking about several individuals of the species Thamnophis radix. Plural forms of scientific names shouldn't be used. And when I emphasize "should", I mean that I'm relying on my memory and trusting what I've been told and what I've read.

In "raedix", "ae" should be pronounced with a long "ee"-sound. The best example to describe it, that I can think of right now, would be the word "ready" with the "rea" part dragged out.