# How do you pronounce "Poecilotheria"?



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

Can anyone tell me how to pronounce this? 

i.e. - Brachypelma - (i assume) Brack - e - pelma

Cheers

Andy


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

yaha :no1:


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

pea - kill - oh - theory - a


ish


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

selina20 said:


> yaha :no1:


Poecilotheria??


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

Elsa said:


> pea - kill - oh - theory - a
> 
> 
> ish


Great, thanks!!:no1:


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Apparently it's pee-suh-luh-THI-ree-uh

according to this site

A Key to the Pronunciation and Meaning of Scientific Names of Popular Species Part I: Pronunciation

I thought it was poe-ki-lo-theeria :blush:

Good job everyone understands "pokies"


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

Pokies works for me!!! lol!! I'm getting a large ornata sling from the spidershop tuesday!! Its a better start to arboreals than the OBT :lol2:


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

andy07966 said:


> Poecilotheria??


poec- ilo- theria


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

selina20 said:


> poec- ilo- theria


sorrry but i think mine wins 

x


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

I'm going to go with yours too Elsa.

And Andy, my OBT is being very well behaved - so far.


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> I'm going to go with yours too Elsa.
> 
> And Andy, my OBT is being very well behaved - so far.


Its luring you into a false sense of security!!! :lol2:


----------



## Willenium (Apr 17, 2008)

Po-Sillo-Theer-e-a


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

My OBT is as good as my brachys. My OH handles it but i would not recommend this to anyone.


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

I'm amazed how differently everyone pronounces it!! :lol2:


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

big - bi - tee - tree - dwel - ling - th - ing


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

Which is more aggressive pokies or avics? I'm pretty sure its pokies but avics are arboreal too arn't they. Sorry if i sound naive but i'm new to these Ts. I've spent the last few years focussing on different inverts.


----------



## gwinni (Oct 8, 2007)

Would guess at pokies being more aggresive than avics? But my versi either runs further in tub or comes out on my hand. My regalis hides behind it's bit bark and thankfully hasn't made a break for it (yet) but i'm always extra careful with it. Not that i'm not careful with the others but you get what i mean?


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

pokies... but neither are particularly aggressive.
pokies are "defensive" and "nervous"
avics just run and poooo


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

I haven't got any "pea killer theory as" yet. I have one Avic but it's very docile.

From what I've heard from others, pokies would usually rather run and hide than attack, but their venom is a lot more potent than an Avic's, so if one did bite you, chances are you'd be unwell for a good few days.


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

garlicpickle said:


> I haven't got any "pea killer theory as" yet.


teeheeee heee
i like that as the new name for pokes 

i did have a few pea killer theory formosas... fast but would rather bolt into their little webby tunnels than out and at you


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

lol "pea killer theory" it is then :2thumb:


----------



## The T Lord (Mar 28, 2009)

Po-key-lo-theria


----------



## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

Elsa said:


> pea - kill - oh - theory - a
> 
> 
> ish


I always pronounced it as poe cil o thery a myself but dont think it matters as long as everyone knows what they are talking about.

It's like some say avic u laria and some say avic u larea slight pronounced different but its like anything really.


----------



## The T Lord (Mar 28, 2009)

Yup, some people say avic, some Aaayvic


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

spider_mad said:


> I always pronounced it as poe cil o thery a myself


how do you pronounced poe though?

po (POst)?

or

pea ?


----------



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

Biggest clue is in the nickname of Pokie.

*Poe* - kee - *loe* - *theer* - ee - ah
(Poe as in POST) Stresses lie on the bold.

Avicularia :: Ah - *vick* - yoo - *lar* - ee - ah

Other useful ones:

Pterinochilus :: teh - *ree* - noh - *kai* - luss
Brachypelma :: *brah* - kee - *pel* - mah
Heteroscodra :: *heh* - ter - oh - *skoe* - drah


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Thing is people will always pronounce things differently so it doesnt always mean ur wrong. For example if you go to a show or a meet up u often find that P.cambridgei are pronounced differently from person to person. People arent guna mock you for trying.

Also accents affect how people pronounce things also.


----------



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

selina20 said:


> Thing is people will always pronounce things differently so it doesnt always mean ur wrong.


Actually, it does. That's why we have English standards. Dialects alter pronounciation slightly but if you pronounced Selina as "Sea Line Ai" I'm sure you'd call them wrong.

These are scientific taxonomic terms and as such have correct pronounciations and incorrect ones.


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

What about minax? 

min - ax
or
mine - ax

Or B. klaasi?

class - ee
or
class - i 

:hmm:


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

ph0bia said:


> Actually, it does. That's why we have English standards. Dialects alter pronounciation slightly but if you pronounced Selina as "Sea Line Ai" I'm sure you'd call them wrong.
> 
> *These are scientific taxonomic terms and as such have correct pronounciations and incorrect ones*.


Which are easily picked up on when talking whereas posting on a forum wont always help. Its the same when learning a foreign language. If you go to the south from the north of the country you will notice a huge difference in the way things are pronounced. I know i did when i went from the Midlands to Portsmouth.


----------



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> What about minax?
> 
> min - ax
> or
> ...


Meen - axe

Class - ee


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

But doesnt Mr Brachypelma, Andrew Smith, say class - i ? :hmm:


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> But doesnt Mr Brachypelma, Andrew Smith, say class - i ? :hmm:


Yups iv always heard them pronounced mine-ax and class-i


----------



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

Hmm... I'd presume it follows standard latination rules...

In which case, indeed, it might be "i". That's a worrying one, I do say "Blon - dye" (T.blondi) but then I say "Smith - ee" (B.smithi). Should it indeed by "Smith - i" and "class - i" and have my biology lecturers also been mistaken?
Or is Andrew Smith mispronouncing it?
Or have we misheard it all?
Or is it dialects...?
Or something else entirely?!

*ARGH!* Questions!


*EDIT:* I am 90% sure it is _Mean - Axe_ though... Check the first line of my signature


----------



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

ph0bia said:


> Hmm... I'd presume it follows standard latination rules...
> 
> In which case, indeed, it might be "i". That's a worrying one, I do say "Blon - dye" (T.blondi) but then I say "Smith - ee" (B.smithi). Should it indeed by "Smith - i" and "class - i" and have my biology lecturers also been mistaken?
> Or is Andrew Smith mispronouncing it?
> ...


Thats not how iv ever heard any avic breeder pro nounce them tho. As i said people pronounce differently wherever they come from. At the end of the day everyone knows which spider they are on about so does it really matter?


----------



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

In a sense, no it doesn't matter; but then again, this topic is to answer the question of "How do I correctly pronounce it?" so in this case, it does matter.

And in a third sense, yes, again it does matter as proper pronunciation follows with knowing the proper names. If one cannot pronounce the scientific name correctly one is liable to make a fool of oneself when talking about said species - and indeed, you may as well use the common name, which brings about further confusion.

On that note, if the proper pronunciation does not matter, why post in a topic asking what the proper pronunciation _is_? Circular logic. 

To drive this post back on topic, I would be very interested to know for sure how the "surnamed" species are indeed pronounced (ie, Klassi, Smithi, Blondi etc...). Is the 'I' harsh (eye) or soft (ee)...?


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

ph0bia said:


> Or is Andrew Smith mispronouncing it?


:lol2: Doubt that! 
I'm sure it's 'eye' :hmm:


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> What about minax?
> 
> Or B. klaasi?
> 
> ...


But is that "class" in the Northern or Southern English pronunciation?

class or clarss?


----------



## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

garlicpickle said:


> But is that "class" in the Northern or Southern English pronunciation?
> 
> class or clarss?


Well A Smith is down from your end in London so it could be a Southern and Northern dialect. 
I always pronounced bracy as brach eye pelma smith ee and klass ee but im just awkward lol. 

Trouble thing is I dont know if there is a wrong or right way to pronounce so long as you can spell and write it down or explain to someone what you have/want/looking for isnt overly important. 
Let's face it these days everyone shortens the names anyway.


----------



## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

Elsa said:


> how do you pronounced poe though?
> 
> po (POst)?
> 
> ...


usually po I say po is it seems to fit with POkie but that could be just me


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

i'm well confused now... blon-dye???
i've always said blond-ee

emilia - i said it as the name, until i went to A.Smith's lecture. em-ill-a not em-ee-lee-a
as the same with boehmei - i said it as in bo-hee-mee and he said bo-my

i prefer the sound of how i pronounce them though


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

I say "beur-mi" (closest I can write the German o with an umlaut over it) and "e-mee-lya"

This thread is turning out quite funny, but I guess as others have said, it doesn't matter too much as long as people understand what you're on about.


----------



## peaches (Apr 3, 2007)

Not a spider person but 'oe' as the first vowels are pronounced as 'ee' so yup, would be 'pee'.

Same as 'Coelognathus' (a ratsnake), first part is pronounced 'see'.


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

peaches said:


> Not a spider person but 'oe' as the first vowels are pronounced as 'ee' so yup, would be 'pee'.
> 
> Same as 'Coelognathus' (a ratsnake), first part is pronounced 'see'.


like oestrogen :2thumb:


----------



## peaches (Apr 3, 2007)

garlicpickle said:


> like oestrogen :2thumb:


Exactly : victory:


----------



## The T Lord (Mar 28, 2009)

Untile now i always pronounced it 
O-stre-jen
:lol2:


----------



## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Well seen as we shorten it to "pokie" i say it as Poker-le-theria I think? dunno, hard to write it as i say it lol


----------



## The T Lord (Mar 28, 2009)

Becky said:


> Well seen as we shorten it to "pokie" i say it as Poker-le-theria I think? dunno, hard to write it as i say it lol


 i pronounce it like that also,
brachypelma is easy enough
brachy-pel-maa :lol2:


----------



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

peaches said:


> Not a spider person but 'oe' as the first vowels are pronounced as 'ee' so yup, would be 'pee'.
> 
> Same as 'Coelognathus' (a ratsnake), first part is pronounced 'see'.


Normally, yes, but in this case the poe is pronounced POH.


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

The T Lord said:


> Untile now i always pronounced it
> O-stre-jen
> :lol2:


yes, but you're a bloke, so you don't have to worry about all that - YET :devil: (wait til you get married LMAO)


----------



## iiisecondcreep (Oct 29, 2007)

ph0bia said:


> Biggest clue is in the nickname of Pokie.
> 
> *Poe* - kee - *loe* - *theer* - ee - ah
> (Poe as in POST) Stresses lie on the bold.


Every phonetic breakdown of "poecilotheria' I have found disagrees with this.

Here is an article from the American Tarantula Society on pronunciation:
A Key to the Pronunciation and Meaning of Scientific Names of Popular Species Part I: Pronunciation


----------



## Skyespirit86 (Feb 23, 2008)

garlicpickle said:


> like oestrogen :2thumb:


Oestrogen should be said ess-trogen, actually. 

Pronunciation of Biological Latin Including Taxonomic Names

'I's a the end of a word are always prnounced as 'eye', eg Blondi will be Blond-eye. If there are two 'I's eg, Slowinskii, it is said slow-in-skee-eye.


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Skyespirit86 said:


> Oestrogen should be said ess-trogen, actually.
> 
> Pronunciation of Biological Latin Including Taxonomic Names


Not according to the OED :Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Everyone says it differently basically, you only have to walk round a show and speak to people to realise how many different pronunciations there are for everything


----------



## Toeboe (Dec 28, 2006)

I'm a scouser, so obviously I will pronounce it different to everyone regardless,,:lol2:
For the record,here is my punt at this great thread,,Po-sill-a-thee-ria. But Po-key for short and ease of use :whistling2:


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

i still think poecilotheria should just be renamed "pea killer theory" for ease of use


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

Elsa said:


> i still think poecilotheria should just be renamed "pea killer theory" for ease of use


I like it!


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

First there was a problem with common names, now no ones pronoucing scientific names right, maybe we should all carry pictures round, and point to the one we mean, instead of arsing around with names :lol2:


----------



## andy07966 (Mar 10, 2009)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> First there was a problem with common names, now no ones pronoucing scientific names right, maybe we should all carry pictures round, and point to the one we mean, instead of arsing around with names :lol2:


Pictures can be misleading......... :lol2:


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

but most pea killer theorys look pretty similar to non-experts. And if we can't even get their names right, how on earth are we going to ID them from pics? :lol2:


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

Oh yeah...but...

Because everyone is used to reading the scientific names, maybe instead of a picture, just a sheet with the name on..? 8)


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> Oh yeah...but...
> 
> Because everyone is used to reading the scientific names, maybe instead of a picture, just a sheet with the name on..? 8)


:no1: Ab Fab Sammy :no1:


----------



## iiisecondcreep (Oct 29, 2007)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> Oh yeah...but...
> 
> Because everyone is used to reading the scientific names, maybe instead of a picture, just a sheet with the name on..? 8)


That made me lol 
Good idea though!


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

:lol2: Cheers, might get some funny looks though :crazy:


----------



## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Sammy i actually love that picture!


----------



## Jamie (Nov 18, 2007)

Poecilotheria is pronounced - Dow - nt - fa - kwith - mee


So your all wrong.


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

Cheers becks

Very funny Jamie, I said that outloud, thought to myself "Wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense..?" 
Then realised what you'd done :blush: :sad:


----------



## Jamie (Nov 18, 2007)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> Cheers becks
> 
> Very funny Jamie, I said that outloud, thought to myself "Wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense..?"
> Then realised what you'd done :blush: :sad:


:lol2:


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *SpiderGirl33*  
_Oh yeah...but...

Because everyone is used to reading the scientific names, maybe instead of a picture, just a sheet with the name on..? 8)








_

i like.. but what if you can't spell?



elsa


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Elsa said:


> i like.. but what if you can't spell?
> 
> 
> elsa


they have dick-shun-rees for that


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

garlicpickle said:


> they have dick-shun-rees for that


is poecilotheria in the dick-shun-ree?


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

:google: 
^^^^^


----------



## The T Lord (Mar 28, 2009)

SpiderGirl33 said:


> :google:
> ^^^^^


 pronounced- goo-gull :Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## SpiderGirl33 (Sep 2, 2007)

:O no it's not!!

It's 
joe - oggle - ee


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Elsa said:


> is poecilotheria in the dick-shun-ree?


I have the complete OED, I will go and look


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

garlicpickle said:


> I have the complete OED, I will go and look


well it's not in the concise....


----------



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Poecilotheria is not in the compact OED either (which is the complete OED in extremely small print so it fits into one volume - supplied with magnifying glass :lol2

But, the root word is Greek and is pronounced roughly "poy-killo". It means "variegated". It's also used in some medical terminology. Sometimes in its other occurrences it's spelled POIKILO, which would indicate a hard "K" sound, and other times it's anglicized/Latinized and spelled POECILO, and in this instance the OED gives the pronunciation as PO-SILLO.

So actually, it looks like there is no definite answer.


----------



## Danhalen (Jun 6, 2008)

I'm pretty sure the word Poecilotheria is derived from "poikilos" (poy-key-loss) a greek word that has no direct english translation, but can be used to describe colourful and "dotted" as in polka dot, and "therion" (th-eh-eye-on) which can be equated to "wild beast".

As such, I imagine the original description was intended to be pronounced "po-eh-key-lo-th-eh-rye-ah"


----------



## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Thats how i say it Dan


----------



## Toeboe (Dec 28, 2006)

garlicpickle said:


> lol "pea killer theory" it is then :2thumb:


I been thinkin,,not always a good thing.
Surely if we go down the "pea,,," this route, we should then shorten it to "peakies" not pokies :lol2:


----------



## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

Toeboe said:


> I been thinkin,,not always a good thing.
> Surely if we go down the "pea,,," this route, we should then shorten it to "peakies" not pokies :lol2:


i actually used to call them "peakies" lol

elsa


----------

