Comments on: Celtic: /sel tik/ or /kel tik/? http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:06:58 +0000 hourly 1 By: umber http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/comment-page-1/#comment-316448 umber Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:47:08 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/#comment-316448 Brad K, I mostly agree with you. Especially about place-names and the like. But Celtic isn't a place name and no region or area has any particular propriety over its pronunciation. As the e.g. of the variation in Scotland and Ireland illustrate. I also don't think it has anything to do with dialect. Among people I know of, their pronounce has no correlation with where they are from. In the US, at least, I think the K sound is an academic affectation that is pretty recent (re Fowler). I never heard it pronounced with the K from anyone until around 20 years ago. Brad K, I mostly agree with you. Especially about place-names and the like. But Celtic isn’t a place name and no region or area has any particular propriety over its pronunciation. As the e.g. of the variation in Scotland and Ireland illustrate. I also don’t think it has anything to do with dialect. Among people I know of, their pronounce has no correlation with where they are from. In the US, at least, I think the K sound is an academic affectation that is pretty recent (re Fowler). I never heard it pronounced with the K from anyone until around 20 years ago.

]]> By: Brad K. http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/comment-page-1/#comment-316386 Brad K. Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:45:10 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/#comment-316386 Umber, The thing is - people have this funny way of fragmenting language into dialects. For scholarly and widely-published usage, of course you are correct. But when you go to Nebraska, the town name spelled "Norfolk" is pronounced "North-fork". In Virginia (vuh-jin-ya), it is "nawf-uck". Telling the fine people of an entire state "you are wrong" may be typical tourist stuff, but won't win respect. Here in north central Oklahoma, the Arkansas (ark-an-saw) river flows south through Arkansas (ar-kan-sus) City, Kansas and Arkansas (ar-kan-sus) City, OK. People here have no problem with keeping the difference straight. Strict, "King's English" is a particular, restricted dialect that many choose to accept as a reference - but other dialects build <em>from</em> that base dialect. Just listen in to a conversation among web designers, among tailors and seamstresses, or among airline pilots. I consider place names to be technical jargon, and the correct usage depends on what the "owners" think it is. Umber,

The thing is – people have this funny way of fragmenting language into dialects. For scholarly and widely-published usage, of course you are correct.

But when you go to Nebraska, the town name spelled “Norfolk” is pronounced “North-fork”. In Virginia (vuh-jin-ya), it is “nawf-uck”. Telling the fine people of an entire state “you are wrong” may be typical tourist stuff, but won’t win respect.

Here in north central Oklahoma, the Arkansas (ark-an-saw) river flows south through Arkansas (ar-kan-sus) City, Kansas and Arkansas (ar-kan-sus) City, OK. People here have no problem with keeping the difference straight.

Strict, “King’s English” is a particular, restricted dialect that many choose to accept as a reference – but other dialects build from that base dialect. Just listen in to a conversation among web designers, among tailors and seamstresses, or among airline pilots. I consider place names to be technical jargon, and the correct usage depends on what the “owners” think it is.

]]> By: umber http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/comment-page-1/#comment-255840 umber Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:40:30 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/#comment-255840 This one irks me. The Boston Celtics ARE pronounced "Seltics", it not a "preference". In general, the bothersome thing about this is that for its relative chaos, we don't help English by ignoring the rules that are in place. C's before E's are pronounced like S's. Period. Why should this be an exception? If you want to say Keltic, then spell it Keltic. Celtic isn't even a Celtic word, so how Celtic speakers say it is entirely irrelevant. Can I "prefer" to say kertain for certain, and kentral for central? Is that Okay, or Osay, too? Dont' know about elsewhere, but here in the US, the K pronunciation is a recent affectation incubated amongst pretencious academics. Hence the reason the Boston b-ball team is pronounced that way. It was always pronounked that way till rekently. This one irks me. The Boston Celtics ARE pronounced “Seltics”, it not a “preference”. In general, the bothersome thing about this is that for its relative chaos, we don’t help English by ignoring the rules that are in place. C’s before E’s are pronounced like S’s. Period. Why should this be an exception? If you want to say Keltic, then spell it Keltic. Celtic isn’t even a Celtic word, so how Celtic speakers say it is entirely irrelevant. Can I “prefer” to say kertain for certain, and kentral for central? Is that Okay, or Osay, too? Dont’ know about elsewhere, but here in the US, the K pronunciation is a recent affectation incubated amongst pretencious academics. Hence the reason the Boston b-ball team is pronounced that way. It was always pronounked that way till rekently.

]]> By: kevin gallagher http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/comment-page-1/#comment-216223 kevin gallagher Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:09:40 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/#comment-216223 the "english" alphabet has 3 letters where 2 should make do. C K and S. K is not in the latin alphabet, it's a greek letter. C is the latin K. however, in modern english c followed by e is always prounced soft. the “english” alphabet has 3 letters where 2 should make do. C K and S. K is not in the latin alphabet, it’s a greek letter. C is the latin K. however, in modern english c followed by e is always prounced soft.

]]> By: Dane http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/comment-page-1/#comment-199869 Dane Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:32:06 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/celtic-sel-tik-or-kel-tik/#comment-199869 Well i really think it should be a "K" sound. I speak a Celtic language (Irish) and in these languages C ALWAYS makes a K sound. There is no K in Irish . Seltic for the football team has come out of fans not knowing... Well i really think it should be a “K” sound. I speak a Celtic language (Irish) and in these languages C ALWAYS makes a K sound. There is no K in Irish . Seltic for the football team has come out of fans not knowing…

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