Actually, if you really want to stick to the Latin roots, you'd have to say "ploo-wer." In Latin, the consonant "v" is pronounced like the English "w." In fact, in classical Latin there was no "u" - the letter "v" could be a consonant or a vowel, similar to the English "y." Here's hoping that the next front will bring a Green Wiolet-Ear to my hummingbird feeders. I knew my Classics degree would come in handy one of these days. -- Chris Sloan chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx Nashville, TN > -----Original Message----- > From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] > On Behalf Of John Devereux Joslin > Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 2:28 PM > To: TN-Bird > Subject: [TN-Bird] "Plover" Pronunciation > > Well, I know many of you have wondered and vacillated and worried > about the correct pronunciation of "plover." Is it "ploh-ver" as in > stove, drove, Rover, and Grover OR is it "pluh-ver" as in lover, cover, > hover, and glove? > So I went to my trusty dictionary to find out. At first, I realized > that it couldn't decide either since it accepted either pronunciation. > Then I realized we've all been wrong all this time. > The word is derived from the Latin "pluvia," meaning rain (as in the > Spanish "lluvia" for rain). Seems at some point these birds were know > as "rain-birds." Well, accepting the Latin "pluvia"--pronounced > "ploo-vee-uh"--I naturally realized that all this time we should have > been saying "ploo-ver," as in mover and prove. > So next time you see a Semipalmated Ploover, let's get the > pronunciation right! > > Dev Joslin > Oak Ridge, Roane Co., East TN > > > > =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== > > The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with > first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. > ----------------------------------------------------- > ---------------------------------------------------- > To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: > tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx > ----------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, send email to: > tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > > TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society > Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) > endorse the views or opinions expressed > by the members of this discussion group. > > Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN > jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society > web site at http://www.tnbirds.org > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > > ======================================================== > > > > ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== > > The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign > your messages with first & last name, city, & > state abbreviation. > -------------------------------------------------- > To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: > birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > -------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: > birdky-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society > web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY > E-mail: gary.ritchison@xxxxxxx > =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================