Just a little question but Google is useless on this for some reason. How should you formally pronounce the abbreviation “cf.” (as in cross-reference) when reading out loud? I know it comes from Latin “confer” but should you just say “cee eff” or should you say “confer” (and how would you pronounce that? Con-fir or Con-fair?)
You should say confer (cun-fair). Just as you would pronounce the abbreviation etc. by saying the full Latin term et cetera.
Thanks very much. That’s what I thought at first, but then I confused myself by thinking that e.g. and i.e. are just pronounced as abbreviations. I forgot about etc.
FWIW, I pronounce them “compare”, “for example”, and “that is” and never use them when I write a paper. What especially irritates me is people who write “c.f.”. But I am a contrarian, as you can see from where I put that last “.”. And fortunately, mathematicians don’t footnote citations so I don’t have to consciously avoid horrors like “op. cit.” and “loc. cit.”. I just read something where I wanted to actually see what the source of a quote was and I had to go back I don’t know how many pages to resolve an “op. cit.”.
Interesting. I doubt very much you say “id est” for i.e., or “exempli gratia” for “e.g.”
I suspect most people say “see eff” just as they say “eee gee” and “eye eee”.
If dictating something for exact transcription, I’d say “Cee Eff Period” to clue my wife or whoever is taking it down that the abbreviation is what’s called for.
If reading text aloud in a steady stream, I’d autotranslate to “Compare.”
I assume this is because you are in a English speaking country, while Walloon must be in a place where they speak Latin as their common language 
The recommendation given to me early on in using footnotes, that I’ve stuck to, is to only use ‘op. cit’ when the original reference is still visible.
And FWIW, I never would pronounce ‘cf.’ as ‘confer’, only as ‘C F’. I wonder how people who disagree describe the ‘CC’ field on emails…
Hmmm…the Cambridge Dictionary likes the ‘see eff’ pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?dict=CALD&key=12324&ph=on
I had two years of Latin in high school.
Hmmm… I see what some of the other responders say or “i.e.” and “e.g.” But what’s correct? What’s the typical norm (yeah, redundant) for pronouncing all of these?
For example (see, I don’t start sentances with e.g.), when reading aloud, I’d tend to transliterate “e.g.” and “i.e.” as “for example” and “that is” respectively. I still write “e.g.” and “i.e.” though. Interestingly enough, when not reading aloud, I’ll often say “e.g.” or “i.e.” but usually as kind of an exaggeration, i.e., only to strengthen my point.
…and while we’re on the subject…
Should it be “Post Hahk” or “Post Hoke?”
“Post Hoke” sounds better standing alone, but pronouncing the full phrase, “post hoc ergo propter hoc,” correctly sounds kind of like Dan Rather saying “Guatemala.”
I say post hock (rhyming with sock).
As “Carbon copy”, of course.
And the voting stands:
Confer - Walloon
Compare - Hari, **Polycarp ** when not dictating
Cee Eff - DSYoungEsq, Gorillaman, and the Cambridge Dictionary
hmmm…you realize you’re all forcing me to use my “judgement.” That’s not right.
And by the way in a formal situation I’d have used “carbon copy” for cc up until maybe 10 or 15 years ago when it became more universally understood. Now I’d say “cee cee” because fewer people would probably understand the carbon copy part. Esp. considering these days it rarely actually means a literal carbon copy.
That’s the trouble with cf. I think a lot of people wouldn’t understand the abbreviation when read as cee eff, but since I’m quoting a text I’m not at liberty to just change it as I like.
According to the boldly decisive sorts at the Merriam-Webster Unabridged it’s pronounced like “compare”, also “see eff”, sometimes “confer”.
So basically, any way you say it, someone will likely make fun of you.
I just say “see.” No “eff” at all.
It seems to me that all are correct. So you need not exercise your “judgement”; you need only exercise your “preference.”
I would have just said “copies to.” I don’t think the first c was originally meant to stand for “carbon.”
In my experience C-F is the most common pronunciation.
Another vote for pronouncing it as the word “compare”. I’m not sure I’ve ever had the occasion to read it aloud to anyone, though.
We had a discussion on this some months ago. “CC” definitely originally stood for “carbon copy”’ (or “carbon copies”).