# Latinists: How do you pronounce "Principia"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505 "2008-05-08T00:41:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/21 "2008-05-09T05:06:19Z")
Forgot to mention that they even go so far as to abbreviate it as ect. Do they really think that etc. has been wrong for all these years? ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/22 "2008-05-11T15:46:23Z")
My Latin teacher taught us “k”. and Wayney, Weedy, Weeky, but not _et ketera_. There must have been exkeptions to the rule. And I remember that we/they said “plakidam” for the Massachusetts motto, \*Ense petite placidam sub libertate quietem \*. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/23 "2008-05-11T15:53:10Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz] Wayney, Weedy, Weeky [/QUOTE] Wee Willie Winkie ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/24 "2008-05-11T15:55:24Z")
It’s a K sound in Classical Latin. It’s a “Ch” sound in Church Latin. It’s an “S” sound in Modern English. I would use either the Classical pronunciation or the Modern English. The Italianate pronuciation doesn’t really make sense either as a classical reference or as a modern update. It falls in between. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/25 "2008-05-11T16:02:18Z")
[QUOTE=CJJ\*] Hard /k/ is always the way I’ve heard it. But I’m always amused at how much argument there is over Latin pronunciation, particularly for terms that have been appropriated wholly into English from Latin. Does anyone here, for example, have a problem pronouncing _et cetera_ as if the _c_ were _s_? In short, appealing to Latin pronunciation standards is irrelevant here, since like _et cetera_ the title of Newton’s work has been pretty much absorbed into English. [/QUOTE] I agree. People also don’t generally make an issue of hearing Caesar pronounced as “Seez-ar” instead of “Ky-sar” or Cicero pronounced as “Siss-er-o” instead of “Keek-a-ro.” There are a lot of common English pronuciations that are technically “wrong” in terms of Classical pronunciation, so i wouldn’t have an issue with anyone saying “prin-SIP-ee-a” instead of “prin-KIP-ee-a.” I do think that “prin-CHIP-ee-a” would kind of miss on both ends, though. If you’re going to go technical, at least hit the right era. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/26 "2008-05-11T16:56:02Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] I’m having difficult remembering just who it is I knew who did this, but definitely some erudite figure of my acquaintance pronounced it as an /h/; “prin-hip-ee-yuh”. [/QUOTE] Oh, but incidentally, this was in reference to the Russell and Whitehead work, not the Newton one, if it would make any difference, for some reason, as to the appropriate pronunciation to use. ---
**Author:** ![liouvillian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@liouvillian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liouvillian)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/27 "2015-06-26T17:31:35Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Caesar would have said PrinKipia. (Here and below the midword capital letter renders the sound of the “c” at that point.) > > If you’re discussing Newton with the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, or singing Handel’s long-lost musical setting of Newton’s Principia, use the Church Latin PrinCHipia. > > But in normal English conversation, the title has been more or less assimilated, and would follow English-language pronunciation rules and say PrinSipia, just like Latin _PrinKipalis_ has become English prinbSipal. Haha wait–is the “Handel’s long-lost musical setting of Newton’s Principia” a joke!!! Because you got me seriously excited about the thought of something so awesome! :o ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/28 "2015-06-26T18:01:11Z")
**Polycarp** passed away nearly two years ago (may he rest in peace), so I’m afraid you won’t be getting an answer. _sniffle_ ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/29 "2015-06-26T18:13:42Z")
And also, yes, he was making a joke. To answer the seven year old OP, I’d pronounce it with a ‘ch’ sound because I’m used to speaking (singing, actually) church Latin, and that’s how church Latin works. However, I do recognize that church Latin reflects an assibilation of the original ‘k’ sound, so if I were instructed to pronounce it with a ‘k’ sound, I’d be fine with that. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/30 "2015-06-26T18:21:39Z")
prin-KIP-ee-a ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/31 "2015-06-26T18:40:39Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > prin-KIP-ee-a ZOM-bee. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/32 "2015-06-26T18:56:20Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > prin-KIP-ee-a Given the user name, I’d say this makes it definitive. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505/33 "2015-06-28T10:51:31Z")
Shouldn’t the fact that it was written in the 17th century mean we should use New Latin? Newton was English, and English New Latin used /s/ for C before I or E. I mean, I’ve heard people say prin-KIP-pee-uh, but that seems to be assuming an earlier version of Latin. At least prin-CHIP-pee-uh is the right era, if the wrong area. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latinists-how-do-you-pronounce-principia/448505.md?page=1)