Over the past couple of days the Indiana state birding e-mail list has been discussing how to pronounce the “pileated” in “Pileated Woodpecker”.
The consensus is that there are two acceptable ways to pronounce the word.
A document on the Cornell web site notes:
“PILEATED (Woodpecker) - PIE-lee-ay-tid, PILL-ee-ay-tid (having a pileus or cap). This and the next two are commonly pronounced as the two alternate versions listed from the dictionary. If it bothers you when people say it differently than you do, lighten up. They're just birds, for goodness sakes, and THEY don't care what you call them.”
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/birdname.htm
Then I found a source that says, while they're both acceptable pronunciations, "PIE-lee-ay-tid" is the more common pronounciation:
"So, what's the correct pronunciation? It's pronounced both ways, either 'PIE-lee-ay-tid', or 'PILL-ee-ay-tid', with more folks leaning toward the first pronunciation. Both ways are acceptable."
http://www.visitflorida.com/experts/outdoors_and_nature/action.blog/id.1513
I used to pronounce it "PILL-ee-ay-tid". But that was when I lived in a town with no Pileateds. Then I moved to a place that actually had the birds and I heard people saying "PIE-lee-ay-tid". So I changed. :-)
So how do YOU pronounce it?
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I say PIE leated. Only recently have I heard it PILL- eated. No biggie but the birds sure are!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am RB and live with a dictionary at my side as when I am reading I want to be sure of what the author means. The pity is that if I encounter the same word the next day I likely may have to do it again. Even then as the fox said to the Little Prince "Words are the source of miss- understanding."
ReplyDeleteI would prefer PIEleated to Pilleated as it agrees with the rules of spelling. "A vowel before a consonant is long and before a double consonant is short."
RB
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DeleteInteresting, as I think I'm actually seeing a third pronunciation. My reading here is that the "lee" is pronounced whether the "i" is long (pie) or short (pill). Around here, what I hear often is PIE-lated, that is, the "e" makes the "i" long, and is, therefore, not pronounced.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the three-syllable pronunciation is from a user who has not seen the (forgive me) proper division of the word into its four syllables. Since the Latin root is pileus, I will always pronounce it pill-e-a-ted.
DeleteI'm with you, Jack. I also took Latin and have always preferred pill-e-a-ted. I just saw one in my Minnesota backyard and am thrilled!
DeleteI also have studied Latin, and am from New England so I too say "pill-ee-ate-id" :-)
DeleteI'd go with Cornell, and Not the rest of anybody else's "opinion"
ReplyDeleteWhat? Your'e smarter and more of an Authority than Cornell? Hmmm......
Since it comes from the Greek hat, the "πῖλος - pilos," we might need a Greek linguist to tell us how "pilos" is pronounced. But since that's the same root that gives us pils on our clothing, which we pronounce as "pills," I'm guessing the hat is a "PILL-os," and therefore the bird which wears that hat should be the "PILL-e-ay-tid" woodpecker.
ReplyDeleteIn Michigan's Upper Peninsula where they are common, the name is pronounced PIE-liated.
ReplyDeleteOh look 👀 its a pee pecker!
ReplyDeleteI have a large female in my yard actually it hangs at my kitchen bay window all summer but disappears when the leaves drop. I was wondering where it went. I always use PIE-lated. Not an expert though ")
ReplyDelete"Po-tay-to / po-tot-o"... I call it a redheaded woodpecker! LOL!😂
ReplyDeleteI never knew its real name until I looked it up one day and with nobody to correct me either way, I interpreted it as "pill-eet-ed (3 syllables) OR pill-ee-ay-ted (4 syllables)" and opted for the latter pronounciation. The only thing I'm 100% sure of is that I've enjoyed having them visit me for over 30 years no matter what their name is! ❤😊