Behold the truths behind the internet.

[amanuensis1]

I discovered something yesterday: I have never, ever had to spell amanuensis out loud for anyone. As in, never given anyone Amanuensis's email address or website address or lj name out loud. I tried to do it for the first time on a recording yesterday and completely blew it.

Comments

[silverhielm.livejournal.com]

I'll have to go and control the English pronounciation of 'amanuensis'!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Is the English different, then? *is clueless*

[aunty_marion]

No, English-English is exactly the same - ah-man-you-EN-sis.
(And I have demanded to be listed as such on my best friend's novel's acknowledgements page, when/if she ever gets it published!)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It cracks me up that we have to say "English-English" to distinguish it. ^_^

[silverhielm.livejournal.com]

Written in the phonetic alphabet, the italian (and latin) pronounciation should be like this: [^m^nu'ensis] (^ being the vowel in "up"), without any y between n and u. We read it as it is written, no sounds added! What I meant is that people who speak languages like mine don't have any problem in spelling words. That's why some Italian people can't really understand what is so difficult in the children's spelling challenges :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yes! I remember reading that there are many languages where there is no such thing as a spelling bee. It makes no sense. Thanks for the explanation!