# How do I pronounce "vaginarius"?



## Helmet (Apr 28, 2008)

A _vaginarius_ is a maker of sheathes and scabbards--a profession during the Middle Ages.  I've looked and looked, but I can't find the pronunciation on the internet.

I'm guessing it's pronounced *vah JINN air ee us*.  But it might have a hard G, or a long A, or who knows what.

Anybody know?


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## kenobi65 (Apr 28, 2008)

*So* many wise-ass remarks I could make...but *none* would be Eric's grandma-friendly.


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## Blackrat (Apr 28, 2008)

Helmet said:
			
		

> But it might have a hard G, or a long A, or who knows what.



Actually it would be both. VA-(hard G)i-n(half-long A)-rius. I don't know the how you write pronounciation in english so that unfortunatily the best I can do to help.


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## Helmet (Apr 28, 2008)

Ooo!  THANKS!  

Hm, that's a little tricky to pronounce.  I have been pronouncing it wrong far too long and my tongue doesn't want to re-learn it.

Just to clarify...

VAY...rhymes with bay.
gih...as in the word "gift," but without the "ft."
NAY...rhymes with bay.
ree...rhymes with bee.
us...rhymes with bus.

The second A is long, but spoken quicker than the first.  And the 1st and 3rd syllables are accented.

Is that right?


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## Relique du Madde (Apr 28, 2008)

Beavis and Butthead would pronounce it "heh heh heh heh that was cool"

Now, I'm not Italian, so I have no clue on how it would be pronounced although I do think I know how the stereotypical English speaking Italian would pronounce it.  But since the rat lives in Europe, I'll trust his pronunciation.


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## Blackrat (Apr 28, 2008)

No. Let's see.

Va - the first A is short. It would rhyme with bay but without y and more soft.
Gi - as in gin (the alcohol) but without the n.
Naa - a long A, but not very long. Somewhat half-long. Hard to explain .
re - rhymes with "bee" but much shorter.
us - rhymes with "use" without the ending.

Oh, and this is totally based on how it would be pronounced in modern understanding of latin. I'm only amateur linguist so I can't promise that this is 100% correct.


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## Helmet (Apr 28, 2008)

Awesome.  Thanks for the extra pronunciation guide.  I think I'm pronouncing _vaginarius_ right, at long last.

Much thanks for your help!


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## Dioltach (Apr 28, 2008)

Here's an easier way: it's like Sagitarius, but with some different consonants.


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## Helmet (Apr 29, 2008)

Dioltach said:
			
		

> Here's an easier way: it's like Sagitarius, but with some different consonants.




That's how I was pronouncing it originally, but Blackrat's posts indicatad that the As are wrong.  They need to rhyme with _bay_, not _bag_, if I'm understanding him correctly.


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## Alzrius (Apr 29, 2008)

My natural inclination is to pronounce it "vah-jin-AIR-ee-us."

I understand that the Latin pronunciation may be different, but that doesn't necessarily correlate to an English reading.


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## Blackrat (Apr 29, 2008)

Helmet said:
			
		

> That's how I was pronouncing it originally, but Blackrat's posts indicatad that the As are wrong.  They need to rhyme with _bay_, not _bag_, if I'm understanding him correctly.



Actually the A in bag would be closer. Then again, I might pronounce english words completely wrong .

EDIT: I figured out an analogy for the A. It's pronounced the same way as A in name Arthur. The first A quite short while the second is bit longer.


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## Helmet (Apr 29, 2008)

Blackrat said:
			
		

> Actually the A in bag would be closer. Then again, I might pronounce english words completely wrong .
> 
> EDIT: I figured out an analogy for the A. It's pronounced the same way as A in name Arthur. The first A quite short while the second is bit longer.




Ah!   Thanks!



			
				Alzrius said:
			
		

> My natural inclination is to pronounce it "vah-jin-AIR-ee-us."
> 
> I understand that the Latin pronunciation may be different, but that doesn't necessarily correlate to an English reading.




Oh, that's interesting.  Maybe the word doesn't have to be pronounced in the same way it was originally pronounced?  Like when a say _san serif_, I don't pronounce it *sahn suh REEF*.  I anglocize it.  Hmmm.

When I (try to) pronounce _vaginarius_ correctly within a sentence, it does sound _odd_ to my ear.  The effect reminds me of the "99 Red Balloons" song, German version.  You hear all those German words and then suddenly the singer says "Captain Kirk."  

Hm.  Right now I am thinking it might be better for my listeners to hear the word anglocized, so it won't be as much of a distraction in the midst of dialogue.


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## Blackrat (Apr 29, 2008)

Helmet said:
			
		

> Hm.  Right now I am thinking it might be better for my listeners to hear the word anglocized, so it won't be as much of a distraction in the midst of dialogue.



That is probably one of the best solutions .


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## Helmet (Apr 29, 2008)

That settles it.  If Alzrius suggests it, and the word-pronouncer-guy suggests it, then that's what I'm going to do!

_Vaginarius_ is gettin' anglocized! 

Thanks, guys!


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## Blackrat (Apr 29, 2008)

You know, it's not like anyone is going to bitch about you pronouncing it wrong anyway, unless you happen to speak with a latin teacher . If you say it roughly the same way you say Sagitarius and majority of people around where-ever you live say that the same way as you do, it should sound right to them.


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## Helmet (Apr 29, 2008)

Latin teachers!  Yikes!


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## MonkeyDragon (May 1, 2008)

Interesting tidbit that may or may not be a clue:

The word for lady parts is derived from the word for sheath, so the similarity is not a coincidence.


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## Ranger REG (May 25, 2008)

MonkeyDragon said:
			
		

> Interesting tidbit that may or may not be a clue:
> 
> The word for lady parts is derived from the word for sheath, so the similarity is not a coincidence.



Well, that changed my perspective when it comes to the following punchline: "Is that a longsword in there or are you happy to see me?"


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## Galethorn (May 29, 2008)

From what I've read, the anatomical term came from its use in lewd jokes by roman legionnaires, which eventually led to its use as a more general slang term.


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## Dioltach (May 29, 2008)

In Dutch, the word for "sheath" is also a word for female genitalia.

I think it's probably a natural consequence of phallic imagery.


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## DarkKestral (May 29, 2008)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> Well, that changed my perspective when it comes to the following punchline: "Is that a longsword in there or are you happy to see me?"




Well, given that, if I recall correctly that the Latin word for sword maps to a Latin word used in the same era for the male genitalia, it's a very literal pun.


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## Ranger REG (May 30, 2008)

DarkKestral said:
			
		

> Well, given that, if I recall correctly that the Latin word for sword maps to a Latin word used in the same era for the male genitalia, it's a very literal pun.



Hmm. Odd, considering that the male genitalia would share the same characteristic of a blunt club than sharp-edged weapon.


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