tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post112681074328142240..comments2024-01-15T23:32:18.495-06:00Comments on Metrolingua: TinnitusMargaret Larkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06421277669200495407noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-79608088764294047712024-01-15T07:47:55.258-06:002024-01-15T07:47:55.258-06:00As a Latin teacher, with backing from a respected ...As a Latin teacher, with backing from a respected online Latin dictionary, I offer these clarifications, none of which definitively settles the argument however:<br /><br />https://www.online-latin-dictionary.com/latin-english-dictionary.php?parola=tinnitus <br /><br />In Latin tinnitus is NOT the past participle tinnitus (where the 2nd syllable "i" is short), that particple being from the 4th conjugation verb tinnire. Rather it is a 4th declension NOUN noun where the 2nd syllable "i" is LONG.<br /><br />As someone has already noted and Wikipedia confirms, <br />"With few exceptions, Latin words are stressed on the penult (second-to-last syllable) if it is "heavy" (having a long vowel or diphthong or ending in a consonant), and on the antepenult (third-to-last syllable) if the penult is "light" (ending with a short vowel)." The Latin NOUN "tinnitus" has a long 2nd syllable "i" and would therefore be accented there.<br /><br />Because the 2nd syllable "i" that's where the accent/stress is put, and the location of stress generally carries into American English, arguably "tin-NIGHT-us" trumps "TIN-i-tus"...generally speaking, but not necesarily definitively.<br /><br />I hope not to buffet anyone nor incite any indecorous defense by offering the insight that the Brits often tend to prefer regressive accents--i.e. moved "to the left" on a three-syllable word. (A veritable buffet of examples abound.) So for the Brits I suppose the first syllable would be stressed, "TIN-i-tus". But ask most Brits on the street and they'll be as certain and as confused as any of us! Let's call the whole thing off.FieryLoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05957426876685092911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-23872257171816954542018-01-26T18:09:02.104-06:002018-01-26T18:09:02.104-06:00Yes! You are correct! Can’t believe this is misp...Yes! You are correct! Can’t believe this is mispronounced by so many, especially those advertising remedies. It is not an “inflammation of the tin”. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06629782667768981377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-3428120088442713532017-09-01T07:50:59.146-05:002017-09-01T07:50:59.146-05:00It's funny to read this stuff. Many strong ide...It's funny to read this stuff. Many strong ideas but most people just say things without real support for their argument. Latin was spoken many places. Therefore there are multiple ways to say Latin words in Latin. There are different pronunciations of the word "tinitus". The Latin word is spelled tinnītus.<br /><br />https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tinnitus<br />Classical Latin IPA: /tinˈniː.tus/, [tɪnˈniː.tʊs]<br /><br />Let's consider the classical Latin pronunciation of tinnītus. The first syllable spelled "tin" can be long-e (/tin/) or a short-i (/tɪn/). The second syllable "ni" is a long-e (/ni:/) as in "scene", with the colon (:) indicating that the second syllable is longer. And the final vowel sounds like "boot" (/tus/) or "hook" (/tʊs/). In this way, we can consult a scholarly source and understand how a foreign word might be pronounced. Obviously the vowels of a Latin speaker would vary slightly, but we'd be close.<br /><br />That's classical Latin. Latin nowadays is generally spoken only in Rome and according to an Italian pronunciation. Thus, I believe that it would be pronounced the first way, /tinˈniː.tus/.<br /><br />Finally, English is a hodgepodge language. Accepted pronunciations often vary from their origins. American English is much more reliant on Webster's pronunciation decisions than on any other language. Thus, there are three different accepted pronunciations, depending where on Earth you are and who you are, and none of them follow Latin for the second syllable: /ˈtɪn.ɪ.təs/, /ˈtɪn.ə.təs/, /tɪˈnaɪ.təs/<br />https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tinnitus#PronunciationTom Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17591778491392188348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-61782863636003460492017-03-30T01:28:23.117-05:002017-03-30T01:28:23.117-05:00It's bad enough to have a condition with no cu...It's bad enough to have a condition with no cure. It's also discouraging to have a condition whose pronunciation is in dispute.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095011547368493593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-41045002996073214722016-06-23T17:38:17.268-05:002016-06-23T17:38:17.268-05:00...emphasis on the itis is misleading and makes th......emphasis on the itis is misleading and makes the speaker sound uniformed since thete is no inflammation. TIN uh tis....forever Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357642326031948302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-67677525882547767872015-10-11T23:25:23.981-05:002015-10-11T23:25:23.981-05:00The anonymous nurse above is correct in her pronun...The anonymous nurse above is correct in her pronunciation. TIN-ih-tus. No long i sound in this word and the accent is on the first syllable.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14111730590279023153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-91157315163587536972010-09-15T03:46:51.848-05:002010-09-15T03:46:51.848-05:00I have to say that you are right, the pronunciatio...I have to say that you are right, the pronunciation of <a href="http://www.treatmenttinnitus.org/" rel="nofollow">tinnitus</a> is confusing, in all honesty who cares right, as long as we understand what it is and how to relate symptoms to treatments.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13132691606375685898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-49095218759127284072010-08-12T11:01:18.081-05:002010-08-12T11:01:18.081-05:00Thanks for visiting and letting your readers know ...Thanks for visiting and letting your readers know about it :DMargaret Larkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06421277669200495407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-15060956858856754272010-07-24T13:50:40.855-05:002010-07-24T13:50:40.855-05:00As a former Tinnitus sufferer I know how life chan...As a former Tinnitus sufferer I know how life changing this can be. <br /><br />Great post! <br />Looking forward to future posts...<br /><br />I have forwarded this link along to readers of my newsletter the Tinnitus Insider.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Kristy<br />Tinnitus Insider<br />http://www.stop-the-ringing.com/blogKristyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06782437654470733810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-25323418794787871382010-04-08T18:41:55.394-05:002010-04-08T18:41:55.394-05:00J, you're clearly correct. One can argue over ...J, you're clearly correct. One can argue over whether the emphasis is on the first or second syllable, but there is no long "I" sound ("eye") in Latin. If Tom wants to be pedantic, he can say "ap-pen-di-SEAT-is" instead of "ap-pen-di-SIGHT-is." But there is no basis in Latin or English for saying "tin-NIGHT-us."Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18292384506020207571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-63019926907883271052009-11-12T01:14:15.313-06:002009-11-12T01:14:15.313-06:00Tom,
I guess we'll just have to agree to disag...Tom,<br />I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. In Latin, the 2nd "I" in "Tinnire" is pronounced "EEE" (like "Machine") not like "Tire".Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12724017020881580103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-16749318736851423022009-11-11T21:40:29.811-06:002009-11-11T21:40:29.811-06:00In nursing school it was always pronounced "T...In nursing school it was always pronounced "TIN-i-tus" same i sound in first two syllables.<br />Pronouncing it Tin-NIGHT-us does make it sound like an inflammation (which it's not) as in all the words that end in "itis" (EYE-tis).<br />Now if we could get people (even medical people!) to stop pronouncing pharynx "Fair-nix" !!!<br />That's the one that gets my goat!<br />It's "Fair-inks" !! Would you call a Lynx a Ly-nix ??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-79575461451931281672009-11-11T15:19:03.177-06:002009-11-11T15:19:03.177-06:00I was thinking the same thing, but then why would ...I was thinking the same thing, but then why would Merriam-Webster have the other pronunciation?Margaret Larkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06421277669200495407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-91704718995424025572009-11-11T14:50:32.715-06:002009-11-11T14:50:32.715-06:00The correct pronunciation is tin-NI-tus (accent on...The correct pronunciation is tin-NI-tus (accent on second syllable, long i). The reason: The word comes directly from the Latin (tinnire), and in Latin, that i is long. In general, English words that derive directly from Latin retain the Latin stress and the long or short vowels (based on the Latin root). Unlike previous generations, most doctors today never studied Latin in grade school. Instead, they take a crash course in it, and tend to apply the "stress on the antipenultimate syllable" rule. But in Latin that rule is governed by whether the vowel is long or short.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17206014591396048480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-13382814991494244002009-06-29T08:17:13.209-05:002009-06-29T08:17:13.209-05:00Thanks for the clarification--I thought you were s...Thanks for the clarification--I thought you were suggesting those other words shouldn't be pronounced with the long i.Margaret Larkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06421277669200495407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-21222137468487555382009-06-28T22:43:07.297-05:002009-06-28T22:43:07.297-05:00I might have been unclear. Those other words ARE p...I might have been unclear. Those other words ARE pronounced with the long "i" because they involve inflammation and the suffix is "itis" not "itus". The "u" makes all the difference.Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12724017020881580103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-15446650881455349712009-06-28T22:07:34.408-05:002009-06-28T22:07:34.408-05:00Interesting...I wonder what would happen if people...Interesting...I wonder what would happen if people started using the Latin pronunciation for all those words. People would say it's incorrect, plus, the long "i" sound is typical English. So I guess the pronunciation has been co-opted.Margaret Larkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06421277669200495407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-67059567828764925882009-06-28T21:12:58.243-05:002009-06-28T21:12:58.243-05:00Tinnitus comes from the Latin (tinnit, tintinnabu,...Tinnitus comes from the Latin (tinnit, tintinnabu, tinnire) for "to ring" http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/3585<br />and since it's originin is the word "tinnit" there is nothing that would suggest a long "i" sound. The long "i" sound is introduced by people who think of other conditions that end in "itis" (with and "I-s" not a "U-s" such as: conjunctivitis,<br />gingivitis<br />appendicitis<br />tonsillitis<br />laryngitis<br />phlebitis<br />rhinitis<br />sinusitis <br />ALL OF WHICH involve inflammation ("itis" is Greek and Latin for inflammation).<br /><br />I hate seeing people's ignorance and incorrectness changing our beautiful language in dictionaries. Just because a website or dictionary says, "both are correct" doesn't make it so in my mind.<br />JJayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12724017020881580103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-1126971137913899012005-09-17T10:32:00.000-05:002005-09-17T10:32:00.000-05:00Is it showing already? I've only been in the clas...Is it showing <I>already</I>? I've only been in the class for a few weeks; what'll I be like in December!?<BR/><BR/>Oh, the existential angst of it all ...a guy in pajamashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00335672648997126429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-1126885247407583512005-09-16T10:40:00.000-05:002005-09-16T10:40:00.000-05:00Whoa--I had to think about that for a moment. I th...Whoa--I had to think about that for a moment. I think that philosophy class is affecting you. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7983828.post-1126883126739847412005-09-16T10:05:00.000-05:002005-09-16T10:05:00.000-05:00Well, for a condition defined by subjective sounds...Well, for a condition defined by subjective sounds, it just makes sense that the pronunciation should also be subjective.a guy in pajamashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00335672648997126429noreply@blogger.com