Quote:
Originally posted by DeltAlum
I've heard that in both cases it depends upon whether the letter follows a vowell (or whatever the Greek equivilent of that is). For instance Alpha Xi is pronounced Alpha ZEE. Otherwise it would be Zeye. Same with Alpha Phi, which would be Alpha Fee.
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Another Greek Urban Myth with no basis in truth. My guess is somebody just looked at the pronunciations used by various GLOs, noticed a pattern (the vowel thing), and said, "Oh, that must be the reason."
But think about it: Certainly the
sound represented by a letter can change depending on other letters around it. For example, in English, "C" is typically pronounced like a "K" unless it is followed by "e" or "i," in which case it is pronounced like "S."
But the Phi/Phee after a vowel theory supposes not that sound represented by the letter changes, but that the pronunciation of the
name of the letter changes if it follows the
name of a vowel in spelling a word or in an acronym (which is what our GLO names are). It's like saying "C" is called "See" unless it is followed by "E" or "I," in which case it is called "Seye,"
e.g. it's the "C.(
see)D.C." but the "C.(
seye).I.A."
Most American GLOs use anglicized pronunciations for Greek letters. Some, however, use Greek or closer-to-Greek pronunciation for some letters -- particularly "Phi" and "Xi," and particularly when those letters appear in the GLO name or a chapter name. The reason probably is based on nothing more than the sensibilities of a GLO's (or chapter's) founders.
Thus ended the lesson for today. (And thanks GeekyPenguin.
)
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