Learn to say (or type) it right!

[Lorraine]

I agree with many on this thread. I won't get into the proper use of grammar since that is a whole other Pandora Box to open.

I did join OB a number of years ago to educate myself on the wonderful world of orchids. As a novice I did not know terminology was so important. For showing and having your plants judged you most definitely need to have the correct identification on them. Vendors do make mistakes and tags get moved around but it is up to us to learn what we have and how to pronounce the names. I believe that many members are at a disadvantage living in areas not "Orchid Friendly" and have to make due so keeping that in mind we are educating each other.

My society has gotten lax when holding the Plant raffle and I am insisting that they read the name tags of the plant that someone won. That person will have a little idea of what they got and have time to ask about the culture before leaving our meeting. Since we grow these plants and should be able to identify them.

[quiltergal]

Vendors are awful about updating their tags, or even making sure the name is spelled correctly. I rarely go by what it says on the tag. I usually look it up in OrchidWiz to make sure. We wonder how/why hybrid registrations get screwed up! I think that is partly why Dtps was reclassified as Phal. Bad record keeping, names not spelled correctly, species not correctly identified made it almost impossible to be certain that there was any Doritis in any of the Dtps.

I believe that learning the official way to write and spell orchid names is just as important as learning how to grow them. When I was a newbie someone here explained it to me and I have been forever grateful. I was not offended in the least.

The thing that still confuses me is when to use variety (var) vs. forma (f). They seem to be used interchangeably, and I know that isn't correct. I think var. refers to a significant structural difference between flowers, and f. may refer to a difference in color. I could be very wrong though so chime in if you have the answer!

[Ordphien]

I have no idea how to pronounce any of the names on here lol.

I tried googling, but that wasn't too helpful.

I'm still confused on caps when writing as well. I've been attempting to get it right though...

One of the many reasons I haven't gone to a show is because I don't know what to say when asking for a certain orchid!
And pointing and saying "that one" probably isn't the best idea.



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[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by Ordphien

I have no idea how to pronounce any of the names on here lol.

I tried googling, but that wasn't too helpful.

I'm still confused on caps when writing as well. I've been attempting to get it right though...

One of the many reasons I haven't gone to a show is because I don't know what to say when asking for a certain orchid!
And pointing and saying "that one" probably isn't the best idea.



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Just ask 'what is that beautiful orchid?" and the vendor will say the name. Then you'll know. But for almost any orchid, even the most common genera, if you ask a dozen people how to say it you'll get at least 2 or 3 distinct pronunciations. Just remember that anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable about how you say it is a jerk. ;-)

[Optimist]

I am a sub teacher. Each day, a new school. Peoples pronunciatioin is not always good. Example, a teacher I was observing today was teaching second graders about antonyms and sintonyms. They will always pronounce synonyms wrong (with a "t") because the teacher introduced the incorrect pronounciation. Also, my hearing is not what it once was. I think you get a perfect storm of incorrect hearing, bad pronunciations, regional and national accents, and---yes, it turns out spelled wrong. What to do? Double check yourself, and play no blame games. Any one can make a mistake. Be tolerant and flexible when dealing with people.

[quiltergal]

Names in capital letters always indicate a hybrid. Two or more species can make up the parentage in a hybrid. Species orchids are always written in lower case. Species are plants as you would find them in nature.

Cultivar names in single quotation marks can follow either hybrid or species names to help differentiate it from others with the same breeding. They usually are given to plants with unusual color, better than average shape or something else that makes it more notable than other seedlings from the same parents.

An example: Phal. mannii 'Black' is a Phalaenopsis (genus) mannii (species) 'Black' (cultivar). Phal. Mini Mark 'Holm' is Phalaenopsis (genus) Mini Mark (grex or hybrid name) 'Holm' (cultivar name). There are other Phal. mannii plants that may or may not carry a cultivar name. The Black cultivar is darker than the typical mannii. There are other Phal. Mini Marks that are not the 'Holm' cultivar. They may have a slightly different shape, intensity of color, or fragrance. Once you understand the naming system reading a grower's list makes a lot more sense. Probably a lot more information than anyone wanted to know!

[hcastil3]

HAHAHA I LOVE IT!!!! taxonomists would be so happy with the thread, I'm happy people are willing to learn because it drives me nuts too , but sometimes I must admit i get lazy as well..

[Fairorchids]

With apologies to WhiteRabbit, the pronounciation issue parallels the spelling & grammsr issue. Though I dropped out of my highschool Latin course, I learned enough to know that American pronounciation of Latin names differs markedly from European pronounciations. In particular the 'ii' ending to many species. The second i is not pronounced 'ai', but rather as a prolongation of the first i.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

In particular the 'ii' ending to many species. The second i is not pronounced 'ai', but rather as a prolongation of the first i.

I thought "ii" was pronounced as ee - eye.
As in lindenii being - lin-DEN-ee-eye.
Is this not right? That's how I hear everyone (that I know) pronounce the "ii" together. ????

[ALToronto]

Originally Posted by katrina

I thought "ii" was pronounced as ee - eye.
As in lindenii being - lin-DEN-ee-eye.
Is this not right? That's how I hear everyone (that I know) pronounce the "ii" together. ????

It's how anglophones pronounce it. That doesn't make it right. Anglo rules for pronunciation are markedly different from Latin rules. Just ask a native Spanish- or Italian-speaking person how they'd pronounce a Latin name, and go by that.

In the US, you would not be out of place pronouncing these names the Anglo way, just as you would not be out of place talking about pounds and ounces, feet and inches, and degrees Fahrenheit. But if you find yourself at an international conference, or speaking with someone from another country, they would not be able to understand you.