My wife pronounces it three different ways, each of which she can support. I pronounce it one, but other than that it’s the way I’ve heard it I can’t support my pronunciation even after some searches. What’s yours and why?
Kai-tawr, obvs
I pronounce it like sen + tar, and accent it like boxcar. Can’t think of a reason, that’s just how it looks to me.
Cent-aur.
Sen-tar
Because that’s the only way I’ve ever even heard it pronounced. This thread is gonna be wild.
Me too. I’m not a pedantic Latin-pronouncer who’d say “ken-tower”
I recognise that “kentawur” is correct, but reject it because “sentar” just sounds more correct.
Just because an English word was originally Latin and is written the same way, doesn’t mean it’s pronounced the same way. It’s an English word now. It has an English pronunciation, pluralisation and definition that can all be different from the original. “Kentawur” is not correct for the English word.
I thought this question would get almost no attention, but so far I’ve gotten almost one response per minute. Well predicted.
I even learned that local language changes things from a couple replies, which I hadn’t considered.
It’s still so interesting noticing comments from you, as I used to be frustrated by the bubble letters in your name. Since my client started suppressing that, I find you often contribute to conversations and I appreciate it.
I tried to express this once before, but at that point my client was still somewhat immature and randomly put my comment in a different, irrelevant thread.
Anyway, thanks for being a classic and long lasting part of lemmy and for showing up in my thread! I’m glad it provided you with some enlightenment.
I saw sen-tar as well!
I pronounce it centaur, as in it rhymes with faur, kaur, boobaur. You know, the “aur” sound, like “ooohhuuuurrr” but more dynamic.
sen-tor
As in taurus, which rhymes with torus.
This is how I pronounce it in Canada
This is the only way in English I’ve ever known
A bunch of Americans pronounce it sen-tar for some reason that I’ve never understood.
Seems just like a regional accent thing
That’s how it looks.
I also pronounce Taurus closer to “Tarus” than toorus.
That’s how merriam webster pronounces it! I’d pronounce it like that as well, got curious, so I googled
That’s one of my wife’s answers.
You’re very prompt.
Correctly, smugly and pretentiously
Nice.
Cen-toor
Like the other commenter I pronounce it sen-tor. Just like the word “dinosaur” I would pronounce die-no-sor if that makes sense. Both words end in “aur”.
…though now you’ve got me curious about how you and your wife pronounce dinosaur :)
Dino-saw. That’s just because of how the DNA molecule character pronounces it in Jurassic Park, and it cracks me up.
I always heard it as dina-sour in Jurassic Park, can’t shake that mental reference haha
ken-tavr, I think that’s similar to how it pronounced in a lot of languges around here, it’s also pretty similar how original greeks did it (kένταυροι)
Solid.
I pronounce it “Phil”. And he would appreciate it if you would stop staring at his missing eye.
If it’s in a Greek or ancient Latin context I pronounce it with a hard C, but if it’s a general English context I pronounce it with a soft C.
I’m not sure what the third way would be.
The third way would be a difference in how the diphthong is pronounced: “-aur” or “-ower.”
So far, the main way I haven’t seen suggested.
I guess I owe my wife an apology.
So how do you pronounce it?
Honestly, I’m afraid to say. No one will support me, it seems.
Sen-chwar.
I have not once in my entire life heard anyone say it like that. Where are you from? Maybe it’s a regional thing…
>EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted wants to know your location.
Lol, that is funny. xD
Maryland. Maybe it’s regional, like you said. However, I was sheltered growing up, so maybe not.
That very well could be regional. Are you near Baltimore? I grew up around DC, but mostly in Annapolis, and I’ve always said it like cen-tar
Edit - I agree with the person below, your brain probably decided that’s how it was pronounced at a young age. There’s a bunch of words I’ve read but never say out loud because I know I will say them wrong! I should just own them, there’s too many great words out there!
“Hermione”
I am no longer in Maryland, but yes, I spent most of my life within an hour of Baltimore. I was indeed an avid reader, so it’s possible that I made my own decision about its pronunciation (that has certainly happened with other words), but I think I got this one from hearing my mom say it. I can’t prove that, though.
I’m guessing he first encountered the word in text without having heard it and his brain guessed it rhymes with “jaguar”, which is understandable.
…yea I wanna explanation
Sorry, I’m not sure how to explain. It’s the only way I’ve ever heard it said.
I told my wife about this thread and about how you said you pronounced it differently and she jokingly said “sen-CHWAR” in a funny voice. When I read your comment off to her she laughed incredibly hard. Her joke turned out to be spot on lol.
Rude.
But I’m glad I could add some levity to your day! I can often make my wife chortle, but when I can make her laugh incredibly hard it’s a good day.
Chwar? Like… Shwarma?
Now i’m hungry for a Centaur shawarma.
I am now questioning every word I’ve ever pronounced, but I think “shawarma” has a softer “sh” whereas my apparently incorrect pronunciation of centaur has a harder “ch,” like “change.”
Perhaps you should consult Tony Stark to satisfy your centaur shawarma cravings. If anyone could make it happen, it’s probably him.
Wouldn’t that be spelled centuar (like how “actually” is often pronounced “ackschwally”) and not centaur?
I’ve never heard it that way but I get it. A combination of (the relevant bits of) suture and jaguar. Only problem is, it’s not spelled centuar, it’s spelled centaur.
However, until one shows up to personally correct your spelling and pronunciation, I think you’re free to call imaginary creatures whatever you call them.
So on the one hand, I think you are going to find almost nobody agrees with your pronunciation. On the other hand, you should wear your mispronunciations with pride because what that tells me is that you were a reader growing up and likely came about this word the first time in text without any other context, maybe even many times before you heard it spoken. Your brain made an educated guess (I’m guess pulling from the pronunciation of “jaguar”?). It got it wrong, but understandably so, and it has cemented in your brain. Fix it if you care to, but no real need. Either way, kudos for being a young reader.
Heh, thanks, that’s a very supportive answer.
I said in another comment, but I was indeed an avid reader and have definitely had that experience with other words (my dad once teased me for my pronunciation of “unequivocally,” for example, and no I won’t provide my incorrect effort here). However, I’m pretty sure I got this particular pronunciation from my mom, though I can’t say why I think that. If I’m correct, I wonder why she thought it was pronounced this way; she also read a lot, so perhaps your theory is correct but generationally shifted.
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Man, English is a mess.
Be fair. We inherited most of that mess from the French.
You’re not wrong.
Can’t are
Cent-our
Scent-ore
Simply “englishified” from French where I’ve ever heard only one way, Centaur (100 tor).
