"Betta" pronounciation.

[McG]

Is it bait-uh or bet-uh?

 

[fishdude07]

its bet-uh

 

[420Loach]

i say it bait-uh, come to think of it everyone i know that has one says bait-uh, but i guess it could differ from place to place.

 

[ecotank]

I say bet-tah

 

[ashleigh]

I say bet- ta too. I seem to be one of few at least in my area (In missouri even the pronunciation of the name of the state is a matter of frequent debate) so I looked it up (just to have evidence- I am bullheaded enough to just assume that I was right all along) . The dictionary says bet-ta, and if you think about it there really aren' t any words of latin derivation in which e is pronounced ai. nobody pronounces the full name as Bayta splayndayns, after all.

 

[McG]

I guess the only important thing is that the people that you're talking to understand what you are saying.

 

[420Loach]

alot of people here dont know what betta is to though. when i say "fighting fish" everyone knows what im talking about.

 

[fishdude07]

yeah i looked at an online dictionary too. tis bet-uh

 

[kikuchiyo]

and if you think about it there really aren' t any words of latin derivation in which e is pronounced ai

The "betta" in Betta splendens isn't from Latin, it's from Thai or Malay I believe. Splendens is from latin.

It's somewhat similar to a Hindi/Urdu word, but whether they come from the same root is beyond me (SE Asian languages does have major Subcontinental influence on it, so I wouldn't be suprirsed).

 

[ashleigh]

I knew splendens was- wow I feel dumb- I have always read that it means splendid warrior but have never found betta in a latin dictionary. Which would make sense if it's Thai. Should have looked at the etymology instead of just vindicating myself with the pronunciation Can I cop out and say "oh I know - meant the latinized version of the word betta."

 

[kikuchiyo]

Eh don't feel too bad. I ran across it somewhere and it stuck in my brain. I believe the scientists just used the native word for the genus name and then used latin for the species (surpsingly multicultural for the 1900s).

 

[fishdude07]

i guess it really doesnt matter how you pronounce it...however you pronounce the word betta, most fish people will know what youre talking about

 

[Rokl33t]

if worst comes to worst jus say, " no those lil fighting fish guys"

 

[Leopardess]

The "splendens" in Brochis splendens means "brilliant" or "bright"...so I assume it means the same here.

I know it is bet-tuh, but I say bay-ta, simply because that's how everyone else has always said it around here. Mispronounciation on purpose

 

[ashleigh]

I say betta out of spite. Same reason I live in SW missourI and say MissourI instead of MissourUH. I'm neither bright nor pretty, so I have to do something to make myself feel better than others kidding.

 

[Izz]

I try to go for a mix between each words, but it usually ends up as one or the other. I say bettah, and people look at me stupid. I say bayta, and I feel stupid.

Either way there is stupidness. It's great.

 

[fishdude07]

ashleigh- missourUH? ive never heard someone say it like that...weird. do you say missour-EYE or missour-EE? not sure what you meant

 

[ashleigh]

missourEE