# Pronunciation



## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Okay first of all, I've got a few things I'd like to point out:

1. I know there are already threads similar to this...
2. I used to pronounce Betta wrong for the longest time.
3. I know members here still do, even though they know they're pronouncing wrong, because it sounds weird.

Anyways, after joining this site I decided to start forcing myself to pronounce "betta" as "bet-uh" rather than "bay-tuh" or "bay-duh". It was weird at first but now I'm completely used to it and get strange looks when I pronounce Betta the proper way (if it were supposed to be pronounced "Bay-tuh", it would be spelled "beta").

I don't know. I know a lot of people don't care or just don't know how to pronounce it or think it sounds weird to pronounce it correctly, but it just kind of bothers me because I'm a huge proper English/grammar freak.

But what really brought me to make this thread is that I was watching videos on YouTube of users making videos on "How to Set Up a Betta Tank" in little unheated half gallon bowls, and thinking that these people look/sound ridiculous when they're talking like they know everything and they aren't even pronouncing Betta correctly.



Maybe it's just me? Lol.


P.S. I wish I could be "God of the Internet" for a day, so I could go through and delete every single video and website that have those misconceptions about betta care on them.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Lol yeah, I agree. Although I know how to properly pronounce it and do so on occasion, the problem comes in when people start to think I'm trying to say "Better" and I know that had been on the subject before. I can't help the accents we've got up here in NE (although I really don't feel like it's much of an "accent", my you others towards the south and west think it's different?)

We also don't have enough of a Betta community here so they would legit have no idea what I'm saying, although I do try to inform people as much as I can. I know it can be aggravating but you also have to remember that Betta is actually a Thai word, it's not from the English language as far as I know (perhaps I am wrong though?) and there for like when anyone tries to speak a different language, they are going to mess it up.

I know it's still frustrating still, but because of my area I don't think it would really allow me to even start thinking about pronouncing Betta properly. And then I go in this vicious circle because as I completely understand you and the desire for things to be pronounced correctly, and then on the flip side, people would literally not be able to understand me. haha, it is a difficult subject.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

lilnaugrim said:


> I can't help the accents we've got up here in NE


Hmmmmmmmmm... My history teacher told me the midwest has pretty much the most "correct" accent, if there is such a thing. I guess I wasn't really thinking about accents, though.

I usually say Betta FISH so they know what I'm talking about, and then they argue with me that I'm pronouncing it wrong. I guess what they say is true: arguing with an idiot proves there are two?

The only thing is usually people just shut up and listen to me when I tell them they're pronouncing it wrong because I am the "crazy fish lady" and everyone else really doesn't care about how to pronounce it, anyways. It's just those darn YouTubers who act like they know everything about Betta fish care and they can't even pronounce Betta.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I'm to the point that I don't care how it's pronounced, as long as they take care of it properly.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> Hmmmmmmmmm... My history teacher told me the midwest has pretty much the most "correct" accent, if there is such a thing. I guess I wasn't really thinking about accents, though.
> 
> I usually say Betta FISH so they know what I'm talking about, and then they argue with me that I'm pronouncing it wrong. I guess what they say is true: arguing with an idiot proves there are two?
> 
> The only thing is usually people just shut up and listen to me when I tell them they're pronouncing it wrong because I am the "crazy fish lady" and everyone else really doesn't care about how to pronounce it, anyways. It's just those darn YouTubers who act like they know everything about Betta fish care and they can't even pronounce Betta.


Might that be because you live in the midwest? lol If you do want to get technical with accents though, English obviously was brought over with the Brits...big surprise lol, but since the NE was colonized first we have the closest accents to British but I don't think any one accent is "correct" than another. 

Is it possible to comment on those youtuber's videos and perhaps give them some tips about keeping Betta fish? I know it doesn't exactly help the speech issue but of course getting them a little more involved that they might then find this thread or the other one on how to pronounce Betta correctly? And now I'm just babbling lol.

I do agree with Skyewillow


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I third Skyewillow 

Most of those videos have the comments disabled, lol. I guess they already got a ton of angry comments about their improper care.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ugg yeah, that is annoying. "Oh look you made a video, that does not mean you know everything about Betta's!" I almost wish we could report it for being "not exactly" proper care of an animal but I don't think Youtube would really care that much....


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Americans seem to say 'bay-tuh' more often. I have never heard anyone call them anything but 'be-tuhs' here (unless someone is calling them Siamese fighters). 

You know what I find difficult to learn how to properly pronounce? The species names for wild bettas. I just guess with mine, and I am waiting until I run into someone who knows how to pronounce them perfectly so I can learn haha. I am probably mispronouncing them something terrible.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Americans seem to say 'bay-tuh' more often. I have never heard anyone call them anything but 'be-tuhs' here (unless someone is calling them Siamese fighters).


yea, it's one or the other here too.


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## Lights106 (May 16, 2013)

Out loud I say Bay-duh but in my head I say bay-tuh.


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

Random fact 1: 

The Midwest accent is considered the most "neutral" accent. Broadcasters and actors are taught to try to copy a Midwestern accent. I live in the Midwest, but that is straight out of many years of acting (including on the west coast) and a few years of school with the goal of becoming a broadcaster (until I realized it was boring to me). However, the Midwest has various accent (I have a northern Midwest accent, I stretch my "o"s), so the area that is usually singled out is northern Kansas area (near Kansas City/ NE boarder). 

Random fact 2: 

The accents of NE are just as varied as the Midwest. But, areas of NE have accents that are closer to the accents of the British in 1500-1600's than the current accents within England. So, if you want to know what Shakespeare sounded like... go to NE. 

Pointless fact: 

I say Bay-duh. I just can't seem to pronounce it the correct way. I know how to pronounce it the correct way, it just gets stuck. It does end up sounding like better when I say it.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Cool facts NeptunesMom! Well at least I had part of it right haha. I like to know interesting and pointless facts too XD I'm full of other pointless facts as well haha


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## Setsuna (Sep 5, 2012)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Americans seem to say 'bay-tuh' more often. I have never heard anyone call them anything but 'be-tuhs' here (unless someone is calling them Siamese fighters).
> 
> You know what I find difficult to learn how to properly pronounce? The species names for wild bettas. I just guess with mine, and I am waiting until I run into someone who knows how to pronounce them perfectly so I can learn haha. I am probably mispronouncing them something terrible.


Splen-den
Stik-tos
Siam-ori-en-ta-lis
sma-rag-dina
Ma-ha-chai-ensis
im-be-liss
set-suna hahaha


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

lilnaugrim said:


> Cool facts NeptunesMom! Well at least I had part of it right haha. I like to know interesting and pointless facts too XD I'm full of other pointless facts as well haha


Well, if you want random facts I am your person. It's funny because that's one of the most recurring "critiques" I get from my students. We'll be talking about something and then I'll go on, and on, and on about random facts about whatever we're talking about. But, I am a force to be reckoned with when it comes to trivial pursuit. ;-)


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

NeptunesMom said:


> Well, if you want random facts I am your person. It's funny because that's one of the most recurring "critiques" I get from my students. We'll be talking about something and then I'll go on, and on, and on about random facts about whatever we're talking about. But, I am a force to be reckoned with when it comes to trivial pursuit. ;-)


Ahaha, that's great! Darn, wish I had you as a teacher! Some of my professors do the same though, I always love to listen


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## ElizabethB (Sep 16, 2012)

Well, you learn something new every day! :-D


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

To me, there are plenty of things worth worrying about more in the betta world then the pronunciation. Should we make an effort to pronounce it correctly though? Absolutely.


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## Darth (Nov 19, 2012)

AHHH Thank you Thank you!! I did a thread on this a while back..and it caused a lot of crap, but if you take the time to breed this noble fish please say the name RIGHT!!!
And then there are those who say, "Well that's just how I say it" and my response is "Whats your name"? and they say EXAMPLE: Joe I say Ok your name is now Frank because that just the way I say it!!
Back when I first joind IBC if you said Bay-Tah you were immeediatly corrected, and by folks from all over the states so please don't use the where I am from card.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

probably because they were all corrected too! lol


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I honestly don't think it's a HUGE deal, I'm just a little OCD and feel that if you want people to take you seriously and you actually know something about bettas, you should at least pronounce it correctly, you know? At least that's what I do.

It's kind of like an English teacher with bad grammar... I just have a hard time taking people seriously if they can't pronounce what they're talking about correctly. If they say they don't know a thing about betta fish then it's fine if they can't pronounce it. It's the reason why I looked up the pronunciation of "plakat" when I first got into bettas. I didn't know how to pronounce it so I took a minute of my time to learn to pronounce it correctly.

But when you've pronounced something wrong for a long time, then it takes a little bit to condition yourself to pronounce it correctly.

Like I said, I can see why people say it's not a big deal, it's just something that bothers me a little. But I'm just that way - not everyone is as nit picky as me.

Btw, thanks for the random facts, lol


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## Darth (Nov 19, 2012)

That does get to me, not sure why, perhaps because it was drilled into me by my mentor..the other thing that irks me a little is all the names peope give these fish..I guess because they don't come to it?
Or maybe its because when trying to follow a post somebody will throw a name out there and you think they are talking about a person, or they act like you know fish one or 2 is so an so.
I have hundreds of bettas and maybe a couple get names...by my girlfriend haha but for the most part they are happy to be BMW#2 Blue Mahachai #2 of 1.
Or Yellow Butterfly Male YBM4.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

LOL, even my snail and shrimp have names! I guess I can't complain too much!

I understand that with so many fish, there's no way you could keep all the names straight, either. I know they don't come to their name like a dog would but I'm a little name obsessed and I don't like kids, lol, so all my "awesome" name ideas are dedicated to my pets! Though most of the time, they don't get human names (obviously, if you look at my signature... Many are named after cars, lol). My dogs name is Cappuccino 

But I can see why you'd maybe think someone was referring to a person rather than a pet fish... I agree that sometimes we talk about them as if they are human. I know they aren't but there's a special bond  I value the lives of every one of my pets and have deemed them worthy of their own unique names and much love and attention and all that junk (my "brodog" is like my best friend, and my bro, therefore brodog.. Thats what my friends call him. He chills with us often.)

^ when I said I'm weird, I was serious. But I know I'm not alone. <3 I love this forum!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

BMW#2 and YBM4 are just as much names as some of the random names people come up with. 

Breeders don't always name their livestock for 2 reasons: A) Because they're livestock and are meant to be sold (and naming them makes you attached), and B) because they usually have more than your average hobbyist.

I have 14 bettas, they all have names, they're pets, and members of the family. You wouldn't NOT give some sort of designation to a member of the family! :-D


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## Darth (Nov 19, 2012)

Yes, But understand I love my fish just as much as anyone else I just have MANY of them and to keep track they get designated.
I also sell them.
I have a fish I named he was from the pair Catwoman sent me, the only survivor his name is....One.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I don't think you DON'T love your fish (how could you not, lol?) but yeah. I have a huge list of compiled possible names for future fish but I definitely don't have hundreds. Plus, hard to say goodbye to the ones you already have names for  I don't know how MoonShadow does it! Lol.

I only have 7 bettas - all have names, but there's a big difference between 7 and hundreds. I even get my girls' names confused periodically. Three of them are very similar looking, lol. Like I said, I even named my RCS Figaro, but if I had an entire colony of them, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart let alone name them all. Same with ramshorns. (Okay, not exactly comparable to the fish you spend years breeding but hey, people do still love their shrimps and snails, too!) the fact that there are so many and that they are so similar looking (identical lol) would make them extremely hard to name.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Darth said:


> Yes, But understand I love my fish just as much as anyone else I just have MANY of them and to keep track they get designated.
> I also sell them.
> I have a fish I named he was from the pair Catwoman sent me, the only survivor his name is....One.


both points were covered in my comment. ^_^

I grew up on a farm, I know how much of a pain it can be to come up with names for numerous animals, especially when you're not planning on keeping them.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

My point was that no one is going to think you're a horrible fish owner who doesn't love your fish if you don't name each your fish, when you've got so many. My aunt has stray cats all over her farm and she does name them but I don't think she hates cats just because she usually doesn't remember what she named them, haha. She welcomes and feeds any and all cats that come and go, and as long as they are being cared for, they are obviously valued.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

It frustrates me beyond belief when people mis-pronouce things. Granted, I'm an English major and I practically cry when I see grammatical errors or things written wrongly, but I still don't understand how people can think something with two ts in between the vowels can possible result in anything other than an "eh" sound. 

This video is not intended to be offensive to anyone, but it sums up many of my pet language peeves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw.
Also, I love David Mitchell.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I understand. Beta and betta are different. But some people don't even know how to spell it.

You sound like my English teacher from high school


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Huh. I'm glad I read this thread, because I'd been pronouncing it wrong.

That made me go look up "plakat," which I'd also been pronouncing wrong. It should be "pluh-KOT."


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Deanna01 said:


> Huh. I'm glad I read this thread, because I'd been pronouncing it wrong.
> 
> That made me go look up "plakat," which I'd also been pronouncing wrong. It should be "pluh-KOT."


I've been saying it wrong too! lol


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

I'll be honest, I sort of flip-flop around with my pronunciation and usually just slur the letters together since I always forget which is correct. I do tend to pronounce it beta (bey-tah), probably because of all the time I've spent haunting the classics dept. I don't have trouble with scientific names because of this though, so I accept the trade-off.

If I was going to be doing any public speaking, like making a video or such, I'd make a point of trying to use the correct one but in normal life I already mispronounce so many words (I'm looking at you, gratuitous) it's not worth the effort.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

rana said:


> (i'm looking at you, gratuitous)


lol!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

What annoys me is when people mis-spell betta as "bata" because they've been hearing it wrong.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> What annoys me is when people mis-spell betta as "bata" because they've been hearing it wrong.


Agreed


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

However you pronounce it....

As the first word in the animals' scientific nomenclature (species-subspecies), Betta is correctly always capitalized. 

Betta is the plural of Betta. 

Abbreviation eg: B. splendens.

I can't seem to ascertain whether Betta is, in fact, a Thai or Cambodian word. Maybe Setsuna can set me straight.

(I know, most everyone on this thread knows this stuff.)


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I stand corrected. The binomial nomenclature designates genus and species. 

Byron gets deep into it, here:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/how-fish-named-45966/


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## KoriC (Mar 19, 2013)

I'm fairly certain I've said this at one point before, but it doesn't bother me. I know what the proper terminology is, and I've honestly tried to say Betta properly for a while now, but my mouth has a really hard time talking around that word. That sounds weird, but Bayta is much more natural to my mouth so it is the way I choose to say it. 

It also can very much be a "where I'm from thing" I really wouldn't turn my nose up to people who say that. I have a cousin that I moved close to a few years ago. We grew close and we were playing cards one day, her, myself and my brother's kids and she said the word King as "Kin". After a bit of dialogue between us all, we found out she legitimately cannot pronounce the "ing" sound. We tried for about an hour trying to help her to it, but sometimes it just can't be done. It might seem easy to some people, but it can be really difficult, and a good amount of people who've taken a second+ language probably knows how difficult pronunciation can be sometimes. It does happen in English to English transitions. 

I would much rather focus on the care of a betta, just like I'm not going to break it down into linguistics either. It's betta not Bedda, better, not bedder, butter, not budder etc. I respect everyone's opinion, but after a few experiences of my own, after the initial correction I refuse to let it bother me, because it might not be a preference thing all the time.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I agree. I guess, particularly on the part that some people may literally not be able to pronounce Betta. For some reason my dad says some words strangely (like warsh instead of wash and every day of the week ends in "dee" instead of "day") and a cousin of mine who has issues pronouncing things since she moved to Georgia and picked up an accent. Or those who have lisps or just can't pronounce things for whatever reason (there was a girl in my class, people would aways tell her to say certain words because they came out strange).

Hallyx makes a good point: I know that Betta is plural but that is very strange to me. I do say Bettas sometimes but usually it's Betta fish - it sounds more normal (like I still don't know the plural of octopus, haha). I can also thank my phone for usually auto capitalizing Betta.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Octopuses. 

Honest. 

Ask your marine biologist friends


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## Polkadot (Feb 10, 2013)

In all the petstores I've been to here the signs where the fish are always call them 'Fighter Fish',I've only ever seen 'Betta' written on tanks or food.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Yeah, calling them Siamese Fighting Fish or just Fighters is way more common over here than people calling them bettas. I can't decide if it's a good or bad thing - on one hand, it gives a pretty clear indication that you shouldn't keep them together, but on the other hand it encourages idiots to do so anyway, and promotes the idea that bettas can never ever have companions of any kind.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I was watching a show the other day and bettas were referred to as "Japanese Fighting Fish". Then a little while later in the pet section of a woman's magazine, they had written the same thing. 

Don't know why people call them Japanese Fighting Fish when they don't even come from Japan.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I think most people could care less because they either see them as cheap disposable entertainment or decorations. They obviously aren't endangered, either.

I wish there could be at least some type of regulation. I mean, cats and dogs normally are supposed to be licensed. Dog fighting is illegal and they shut down puppy mills and stuff when they aren't being properly cared for and animals can be taken from irresponsible owners. I watch animal cops and animal precinct a lot. You won't see police walking into a house and taking away fish like they will take away emaciated dogs and cats and horses. They can get warrants for that.

But fish are easier to hide and unlike dog fighting, the fish aren't dangerous to humans.

That I think would be more important than correct pronunciation. I mean any place is allowed to sell fish. Members here have said they sell them at craft stores?! What?

I went to Walmart yesterday and they were giving away the fish for free because they're replacing all their tanks. The employees were clueless and this lady walked out with two bags FILLED with fish! I asked her the size of her tank, she said 10 gallon. I told her all those fish would die and she said, "no, I think they'll be fine. My fish need some friends!" Like 50 of them?

She'll add all those fish at once and watch as they all die and then wish that she had listened to me. At least I tried...


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> I think most people could care less...


 See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw.
Not to be picky, but since this is a language-related thread.  

Silliness, aside, that is awful. People may go on about the legislative difficulties and expenses, but petshop employees ought to have to pass an exam before being allowed to sell living creatures. Surely it's worth the hassle to stop sentient beings dying horribly. But then, like you said, people barely regard fish as sentient.


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## whiskandbowl (Aug 21, 2012)

I have more trouble with plant names than fish names! (yes, yes, I know it's bettuh, not baytuh and plah kot not plah kat, but old habits die hard!)

Anacharis- is it anna-car-iss?
Anubias- ann- oo- buy- iss?
Cryptocoryne- I usually give up and say crypts


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw.
> Not to be picky, but since this is a language-related thread.
> 
> Silliness, aside, that is awful. People may go on about the legislative difficulties and expenses, but petshop employees ought to have to pass an exam before being allowed to sell living creatures. Surely it's worth the hassle to stop sentient beings dying horribly. But then, like you said, people barely regard fish as sentient.


Lol, I died on that video! That's great thank you.

All Petco (don't know about petsmart or walmart) but they do have to take rigorous tests to be certified for selling animals (my friend just got her cert for fish) but of course it doesn't include the pronunciations.

And as far as plants go, yeah I've got troubles with those too.

I'm pretty sure that Cryptocoryne, the last part is just pronounced as "corn" but I could just be making that up entirely! lol


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

uh-NOO--bee-iss

a-NAK-uh-ris

What's the right way to pronounce Cryptocoryne? Corn? Really?

I wonder about Rotala, too.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Hallyx said:


> What's the right way to pronounce Cryptocoryne? Corn? Really?
> 
> I wonder about Rotala, too.


I can't tell if you're making fun of me or really asking lol

I have a feeling that Rotala is ro-tah-lah, at least that's how we say it.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Not in any way making fun of you, Lil. KRIP-toe-corn just sounded silly to me ;-}

Ro-TA-luh Right?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Hallyx said:


> Not in any way making fun of you, Lil. KRIP-toe-corn just sounded silly to me ;-}
> 
> Ro-TA-luh Right?


Oh okay! And yes, yes it does sound silly ^^

And yes that looks right for Rotala, however I'm no plant expert it just seemed logical is all ^^


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