I always pronounced it “KOY-tus.”
It might be apocryphal (I can’t find any reference to it with a Google search) but there’s a radio station in San Francisco called KOIT FM (normally pronounced with each letter individually–K-O-I-T FM), and I heard they once got slapped because they managed to fit “KOIT Us!” into one of their commercials.
The idea (I presume, and tend to agree) is that for an obvious learned borrowing like this the classical pronunciation should be “correct”, not wrong, anyway. Wiktionary transcribes it as [ˈkoɪt̪ʊs̠], so I do not think @James66 is too far off.
Wiktionary’s Latin pronunciation [ˈkoɪt̪ʊs̠] has /ɪ/ (ih) as the second syllable, not /i/ (ee), and has the accent on the first syllable. It’s essentially the same as the OED’s first English pronunciation. Even if James66’s pronunciation were correct Latin, I don’t agree that it’s acceptable to use the Latin pronunciation for an English word, even if it’s derived from Latin. But “ko ee tuss” is neither correct Latin nor correct English.
As Descartes stated, “Coito, ergo sum”
Well, since you asked, and I’m not bragging, but it depends on my mood.
Generally, “koh’-ih-tus,” sort of like “Robitus[sun].” Meh, maybe “koy-tus” if it’s casual Fridays.
Either way is acceptable to me, unlike that wretched, hideous bit of nonsense when people willingly reveal their true selves as graceless, uneducated, illiterate imposters who pronounce “processes” with a terminal “eez” sound. That’s illiterate, has no possible justification in any language, present or past, and violators should be disposed of without remorse, while the righteous are filled with the spirit of zesty enterprise which accompanies their summary execution.
If “COY-dus” is good enough for Sheldon Cooper, it’s good enough for me.
And I’d like to point out it would be legal to engage in coitus with this thread in 41 of the 50 states.
I think I agree with what you’re hinting at by putting “correct” in quotes.
Do people have a sense that they are using a Latin word when they say it? I don’t think so, I think its fully adopted. But when correctness derives from consensus, there will always be marginal cases like this that are spoken so infrequently that no consensus exists. I think we could just say fuck it, there is no established correct pronunciation.
I don’t think I have ever said it; or heard anybody else say it in conversation; though I’ve certainly seen it written a number of times.
I think in my head I’ve been saying ‘co-eet-us’, accent on the second syllable. I make no claim for the accuracy or otherwise of this.
If enough people give it, it’ll rapidly become a name that most Americans can pronounce.
– good grief, it’s a zombie!
Isn’t that more accurately “my parents whatever-the-third-person-is-of-coitus, ergo sum”?
I’m now imagining the equivalent of this thread as a discussion, probably with wine, in Something BC. I bet there was one.
nm
…
Wouldn’t it be the first person singular of coitare, if that is a verb for amorous Romans? If we make the verb real in pretend Latin, the grammar seems correct.
It should still be the third person; because the reason he exists isn’t because he has sex, it’s because his parents did.
Ah, I see. I was reading it more as a Descartes getting over his existential anxiety-induced erectile dysfunction and celebrating his existence through passionate lovemaking.
Coy Tess
Or it defines their existence on their sexual activity.
Anyhoo, it resulted from a typo I made long ago, and seems funny enough if a Centurion doesn’t come by to correct your Latin grammar.
I don’t. I’ve never had an occasion to use the word.
You’re just coitusing with us now, aren’t you?
But how did Romans actually talk? Was there a lot of “coeunt fiuntque parentes” or more of the “aut futue, aut pugnemus”?
My daughter’s middle name.
I’ve seen it spelt “Shavaun” by an American.
Anybody want to try for the correct pronunciation of “Caitlin”?
Are you saying that there are nine US states where it is illegal to have sexual intercourse at the venerable age of 18?
The thread was started June 2 2006, so it’s still got 4 months & 5 days to go.