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How do y'all pronounce quixotic
#1
Gruebeard
Gruebeard
#2
ThatNickGuy
ThatNickGuy
#3
Dave
Dave
#4
Cog
Cog
#5
Sara_2814
Sara_2814
I say "Kee-ho-tic". Quixote is a proper name, so I've never understood mangling it into "Kwik-so-tic" to make it an adjective. 
I also pronounce conquistador as "con-kee-sta-dor" and not "con-kwist-a-dor". For Spanish-origin words, I tend to pronounce "qui" as "kee".
I also pronounce conquistador as "con-kee-sta-dor" and not "con-kwist-a-dor". For Spanish-origin words, I tend to pronounce "qui" as "kee".
#6
Gruebeard
Gruebeard
Yay! I'm not the only one.I say "Kee-ho-tic". Quixote is a proper name, so I've never understood mangling it into "Kwik-so-tic" to make it an adjective.
I also pronounce conquistador as "con-kee-sta-dor" and not "con-kwist-a-dor". For Spanish-origin words, I tend to pronounce "qui" as "kee".
#7
HCGLNS
HCGLNS
#8
PatrThom
PatrThom
#9
Officer_Charon
Officer_Charon
#10
Dave
Dave
#11
netsirk
netsirk
Must delurk for grammar-type things!
Much as it should appear the contrary, given that the word derives from the proper name Quixote (as amply mentioned above), the accepted pronunciation is, in fact, "quicks-otic." In case you don't believe dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster, the venerable Oxford English Dictionary includes only that pronunciation, as well (and they're the kings of including variant pronunciations with their entries). Since the OED is behind a paywall, I've attached a screenshot of their entry for "quixotic" for y'all's browsing pleasure
The best reason I can find for this pronunciation is that the adjective form was first used in English (in the 1700s), hence the more strident Anglicization. We mostly see these Anglicized pronunciations today with proper nouns, like Mexico and Paris (which few Americans would commonly pronounce as "Meh-hee-co" or "Pa-ree," unless adopting a deliberate affectation.)
Quixotic pronunciation discussion aside, the one that really gets me is the word "forte," as in "strength or special skill." Most people pronounce it "for-tay," as one would for the dynamic notation in music (which is Italian!), but in fact, the proper American pronunciation is just "fort" (like what you'd build with Lincoln Logs, no second syllable accent). Since SO many people have continued to use the "for-tay" form, this pronunciation is beginning to be included as a variant in most dictionaries. Granted, "figuratively" has been added as a variant definition for "literally" in some dictionaries in recent years, so I don't even know if I can trust dictionaries any longer! (Also, if you want to be a SUPER NERD about etymology (and who doesn't?), "forte" comes from the feminine form of the French adjective of the same spelling and nearly identical meaning. In French, the masculine form (fort) is pronounced roughly "forr," while the feminine form (forte) is pronounced with no accent, as above (like the building). So even though French is all about the accents, this is one case where the common American pronunciation adds in a spoken accent that wasn't originally there! It would be written "forté" if it were supposed to have the "-ay" accent on the end!) Thus, while I will happily write the word "forte," I no longer use it in spoken conversation (except in discussing this very pronunciation issue!), lest I be drawn into the bottomless quagmire of pronouncing the word technically correctly and being thought of as an uneducated clod, or using the common pronunciation and betraying my nerdy, word-loving brain.
TL;DR it's officially "quicks-otic." English is weird.
Much as it should appear the contrary, given that the word derives from the proper name Quixote (as amply mentioned above), the accepted pronunciation is, in fact, "quicks-otic." In case you don't believe dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster, the venerable Oxford English Dictionary includes only that pronunciation, as well (and they're the kings of including variant pronunciations with their entries). Since the OED is behind a paywall, I've attached a screenshot of their entry for "quixotic" for y'all's browsing pleasure
The best reason I can find for this pronunciation is that the adjective form was first used in English (in the 1700s), hence the more strident Anglicization. We mostly see these Anglicized pronunciations today with proper nouns, like Mexico and Paris (which few Americans would commonly pronounce as "Meh-hee-co" or "Pa-ree," unless adopting a deliberate affectation.)
Quixotic pronunciation discussion aside, the one that really gets me is the word "forte," as in "strength or special skill." Most people pronounce it "for-tay," as one would for the dynamic notation in music (which is Italian!), but in fact, the proper American pronunciation is just "fort" (like what you'd build with Lincoln Logs, no second syllable accent). Since SO many people have continued to use the "for-tay" form, this pronunciation is beginning to be included as a variant in most dictionaries. Granted, "figuratively" has been added as a variant definition for "literally" in some dictionaries in recent years, so I don't even know if I can trust dictionaries any longer! (Also, if you want to be a SUPER NERD about etymology (and who doesn't?), "forte" comes from the feminine form of the French adjective of the same spelling and nearly identical meaning. In French, the masculine form (fort) is pronounced roughly "forr," while the feminine form (forte) is pronounced with no accent, as above (like the building). So even though French is all about the accents, this is one case where the common American pronunciation adds in a spoken accent that wasn't originally there! It would be written "forté" if it were supposed to have the "-ay" accent on the end!) Thus, while I will happily write the word "forte," I no longer use it in spoken conversation (except in discussing this very pronunciation issue!), lest I be drawn into the bottomless quagmire of pronouncing the word technically correctly and being thought of as an uneducated clod, or using the common pronunciation and betraying my nerdy, word-loving brain.
TL;DR it's officially "quicks-otic." English is weird.
Attachments
#12
drifter
drifter
Eh, quixotic only has one accepted pronunciation, and it's been that way for three centuries now. It's an English word and is pronounced as such, despite its origins. If you want to pronounce it like in Spanish, may I suggest using Don Quixotesque?
Fun fact: when Don Quixote was written the x was most likely pronounced with the old Spanish sh sound. So maybe it should be pronounced keesh-otic if you really want to get back to its roots
-edit-
Dang, ninja'd by over half an hour. That's what I get for tracking down historical sibilants.
Fun fact: when Don Quixote was written the x was most likely pronounced with the old Spanish sh sound. So maybe it should be pronounced keesh-otic if you really want to get back to its roots
-edit-
Dang, ninja'd by over half an hour. That's what I get for tracking down historical sibilants.
#13
Sara_2814
Sara_2814
Eh. Given that the "experts" lied to us for centuries about not ending sentences with a preposition in English (that "rule" was actually made up by a bunch of 17th century snobs trying to make Germanic English more like Latin), I'm going to continue to err on the side of not deliberately pronouncing people's names completely wrong.
Also, the "in English you have to pronounce words as they're spelled" rule that people trot out for quixotic is utter bullshit, considering the rule originated in a country that pronounces Worcestershire and Leicestershire as "woostershear" and "lestershear". When the UK starts following their own rules and pronounces Worcestershire "correctly", I'll change my pronunciation of quixotic.
And you're right. English is very dynamic and changeable. And the changes have to start somewhere. Like pronouncing people's names correctly, even if they're turned into an adjective.
Also, the "in English you have to pronounce words as they're spelled" rule that people trot out for quixotic is utter bullshit, considering the rule originated in a country that pronounces Worcestershire and Leicestershire as "woostershear" and "lestershear". When the UK starts following their own rules and pronounces Worcestershire "correctly", I'll change my pronunciation of quixotic.
And you're right. English is very dynamic and changeable. And the changes have to start somewhere. Like pronouncing people's names correctly, even if they're turned into an adjective.
#14
drifter
drifter
So are you going to start pronouncing it keeshotic then? Like I said, that was the most likely pronunciation when the book was written.
From page 343 of "Latin to Spanish" by Lloyd.
From page 343 of "Latin to Spanish" by Lloyd.
#15
MindDetective
MindDetective
#16
PatrThom
--Patrick
PatrThom
I like and appreciate you for this post alone. The third-person plural, the italics, the capitalization of proper nouns, etc. Please stay.Must delurk for grammar-type things!
Much as it should appear the contrary, given that the word derives from the proper name Quixote (as amply mentioned above), the accepted pronunciation is, in fact, "quicks-otic." In case you don't believe dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster, the venerable Oxford English Dictionary includes only that pronunciation, as well (and they're the kings of including variant pronunciations with their entries). Since the OED is behind a paywall, I've attached a screenshot of their entry for "quixotic" for y'all's browsing pleasure
The best reason I can find for this pronunciation is that the adjective form was first used in English (in the 1700s), hence the more strident Anglicization. We mostly see these Anglicized pronunciations today with proper nouns, like Mexico and Paris (which few Americans would commonly pronounce as "Meh-hee-co" or "Pa-ree," unless adopting a deliberate affectation.)
Quixotic pronunciation discussion aside, the one that really gets me is the word "forte," as in "strength or special skill." Most people pronounce it "for-tay," as one would for the dynamic notation in music (which is Italian!), but in fact, the proper American pronunciation is just "fort" (like what you'd build with Lincoln Logs, no second syllable accent). Since SO many people have continued to use the "for-tay" form, this pronunciation is beginning to be included as a variant in most dictionaries. Granted, "figuratively" has been added as a variant definition for "literally" in some dictionaries in recent years, so I don't even know if I can trust dictionaries any longer! (Also, if you want to be a SUPER NERD about etymology (and who doesn't?), "forte" comes from the feminine form of the French adjective of the same spelling and nearly identical meaning. In French, the masculine form (fort) is pronounced roughly "forr," while the feminine form (forte) is pronounced with no accent, as above (like the building). So even though French is all about the accents, this is one case where the common American pronunciation adds in a spoken accent that wasn't originally there! It would be written "forté" if it were supposed to have the "-ay" accent on the end!) Thus, while I will happily write the word "forte," I no longer use it in spoken conversation (except in discussing this very pronunciation issue!), lest I be drawn into the bottomless quagmire of pronouncing the word technically correctly and being thought of as an uneducated clod, or using the common pronunciation and betraying my nerdy, word-loving brain.
TL;DR it's officially "quicks-otic." English is weird.
You forgot to capitalize YOLO. Also you forgot to include a smiling emoji. -5pts.
--Patrick
#17
Dei
Dei
#18
Sara_2814
I'll pronounce it kee-oh-tic, kee-sho-tic, or even Patr_Thom's "kicksotic", but never "kwiksotic". Mostly because it pisses off the Kwikshot fanboys. I never even really thought about this until Grue brought it up, but doing some research on it brought me to some forums where people got sent into a frothing rage over the usage of kee-oh-tic. LOL
Or maybe I'll use Quijotesco to piss off the English Only faction.
Sara_2814
And do they use "kee" or "kwish" as the first part?
I'll pronounce it kee-oh-tic, kee-sho-tic, or even Patr_Thom's "kicksotic", but never "kwiksotic". Mostly because it pisses off the Kwikshot fanboys. I never even really thought about this until Grue brought it up, but doing some research on it brought me to some forums where people got sent into a frothing rage over the usage of kee-oh-tic. LOL
Or maybe I'll use Quijotesco to piss off the English Only faction.
#19
MindDetective
MindDetective
#20
drifter
Bonus fun fact: quixote is taken from the French word cuisse, or cuish. So you could go either kweesotic or kweeshotic and stay true to the original French. But then that's taken from the old French word cuissot, so maybe it should be kweesoic. But then that is taken from the Latin root coxa. Cocksatic?
drifter
Hey, you're the one hung up on "correct pronunciation," you tell me!And do they use "kee" or "kwish" as the first part?
I'll pronounce it kee-oh-tic, kee-sho-tic, or even Patr_Thom's "kicksotic", but never "kwiksotic". Mostly because it pisses off the Kwikshot fanboys. I never even really thought about this until Grue brought it up, but doing some research on it brought me to some forums where people got sent into a frothing rage over the usage of kee-oh-tic. LOL
Or maybe I'll use Quijotesco to piss off the English Only faction.
Bonus fun fact: quixote is taken from the French word cuisse, or cuish. So you could go either kweesotic or kweeshotic and stay true to the original French. But then that's taken from the old French word cuissot, so maybe it should be kweesoic. But then that is taken from the Latin root coxa. Cocksatic?
#21
Sara_2814
Sara_2814
How am I "hung up"? Grue asked. I gave my personal preference and why. I have never said other pronunciations are wrong, only why I pronounce it the way I do. I sincerely do not give a fuck how others pronounce it. But obviously some people care deeply about my preference, judging by the Rules Nazi posts. I poked fun at those posts and apparently hit a nerve. Whatever, pronounce it however you want, I'm not sure why my pronunciation even matters so much to anyone beyond Grue's curiosity.Hey, you're the one hung up on "correct pronunciation," you tell me!
Bonus fun fact: quixote is taken from the French word cuisse, or cuish. So you could go either kweesotic or kweeshotic and stay true to the original French. But then that's taken from the old French word cuissot, so maybe it should be kweesoic. But then that is taken from the Latin root coxa. Cocksatic?
#23
drifter
Double bonus fun fact: I mostly was just interested in looking up why quixotic is pronounced the way it is, and also found the etymology interesting, but the "Rules Nazi" swipe is amusingly ironic given you think kwiksotic is completely unacceptable.
drifter
Oh, I think you care a little
Double bonus fun fact: I mostly was just interested in looking up why quixotic is pronounced the way it is, and also found the etymology interesting, but the "Rules Nazi" swipe is amusingly ironic given you think kwiksotic is completely unacceptable.
#24
Officer_Charon
Officer_Charon
#26
GasBandit
GasBandit
#27
strawman
strawman
#28
PatrThom
PatrThom
#29
Officer_Charon
Officer_Charon
#30
drifter
drifter
#31
Hailey Knight
Hailey Knight
#33
sixpackshaker
sixpackshaker
#34
netsirk
netsirk
Oh, I'm usually here (which sounds way creepier than I meant it). In fact, I'm a serial lurker hailing back from the old Image boards, if you can believe it! I just post rather infrequently.
To be discussed while looking at a map of Acapulco, sitting on the toilet and pondering the correct way to wipe?
If you're already pronouncing it "quicks-otic" either inside or outside your head, you're already using the commonly accepted pronunciation!
I'm from New England; the rules of pronunciation vs phonetic spelling frequently go out the window here! I enjoy the evolving pronunciation of place names, such as "Los Angeles" (a place I have not yet personally visited, but I have watched a fair number of Zorro serials and Dragnet episodes, which clearly makes me an expert). That one started as legit Spanish "Loce ANN-heh-les," was officially declared Anglicized to "Loss An-juh-less" in 1934 (with a re-vote in the 50s), but has also traveled to the land of hard Gs ("Loss ANG-el-ess,") and has also flirted with less desirable rhyming associations (if you please, "Los Angeles" shouldn't rhyme with "fleas"). If I ever visit, I'm playing it safe and calling it LA!
#35
GasBandit
GasBandit
#36
Hailey Knight
Hailey Knight
#37
Gruebeard
And I see by the poll results that @Grytpipe-Thynne still lurking around, too
I also see by the poll results (and your OED entry) that I've been pronouncing quixotic wrong.
. . . although I gotta say I'm not sure I've ever used it in conversation. The only time I ever use it when singing the song "Whore" by Dalbello, and since she pronounces it wrong I will continue doing so.
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Gruebeard
I remembered you, recognized your name immediately, even before you mentioned delurking - at which point I said to myself "ah! That's where he's been."
And I see by the poll results that @Grytpipe-Thynne still lurking around, too
I also see by the poll results (and your OED entry) that I've been pronouncing quixotic wrong.
. . . although I gotta say I'm not sure I've ever used it in conversation. The only time I ever use it when singing the song "Whore" by Dalbello, and since she pronounces it wrong I will continue doing so.
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#38
blotsfan
blotsfan
#39
netsirk
And, catchy tune! I can't get too hung up on mispronunciations or grammar errors in music lyrics, or I'd have an aneurysm (given their relative ubiquity). Though, when feeling aggressively pedantic, I will substitute in the correct usage when I'm singing along to a song
netsirk
At least you didn't order the fajitas!
*She, actually. Apparently I am fulfilling my yearly quota of posts in this one thread!I remembered you, recognized your name immediately, even before you mentioned delurking - at which point I said to myself "ah! That's where he*'s been."
...
The only time I ever use it when singing the song "Whore" by Dalbello, and since she pronounces it wrong I will continue doing so.
And, catchy tune! I can't get too hung up on mispronunciations or grammar errors in music lyrics, or I'd have an aneurysm (given their relative ubiquity). Though, when feeling aggressively pedantic, I will substitute in the correct usage when I'm singing along to a song
#40
Gruebeard
Gruebeard
#41
tegid
Anyway, anglizice it however you want, obviously, but I must say the first few times I heard it said by the video Dave posted were like NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD
tegid
Not to nitpick, but it seems unlikely to me that it comes from french: coxa in latin is much more similar (in pronounciation) to 'quixote' (in Spanish) than cuisse. Also, most etymology sources in Spanish say it comes from catalan 'cuixot'.Hey, you're the one hung up on "correct pronunciation," you tell me!
Bonus fun fact: quixote is taken from the French word cuisse, or cuish. So you could go either kweesotic or kweeshotic and stay true to the original French. But then that's taken from the old French word cuissot, so maybe it should be kweesoic. But then that is taken from the Latin root coxa. Cocksatic?
Anyway, anglizice it however you want, obviously, but I must say the first few times I heard it said by the video Dave posted were like NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD
#42
Grytpipe-Thynne
Grytpipe-Thynne
#43
Tinwhistler
My high school honors biology teacher pronounced "larynx" as "the lair-nicks"
My high school honors chemistry teacher failed to comprehend that rinsing a beaker with tap water that had previously only contained distilled water meant that it was conceivably dirtier than when she started.
Texas high schools suck
Tinwhistler
My high school honors english teacher pronounced it "quicksotic", and "Don Quixote" as "Don Quick-sotee".
My high school honors biology teacher pronounced "larynx" as "the lair-nicks"
My high school honors chemistry teacher failed to comprehend that rinsing a beaker with tap water that had previously only contained distilled water meant that it was conceivably dirtier than when she started.
Texas high schools suck
#44
PatrThom
--Patrick
PatrThom
Did you physics teacher pronounce it "noo-cyew-lur?"My high school honors english teacher pronounced it "quicksotic", and "Don Quixote" as "Don Quick-sotee".
My high school honors biology teacher pronounced "larynx" as "the lair-nicks"
Texas high schools suck
--Patrick
#45
blotsfan
blotsfan
#47
bhamv3
bhamv3
#48
Officer_Charon
Officer_Charon
#49
Gruebeard
Gruebeard
My grade 13 English teacher didn't know the difference between compliment and complement. Sigh.My high school honors english teacher pronounced it "quicksotic", and "Don Quixote" as "Don Quick-sotee".
My high school honors biology teacher pronounced "larynx" as "the lair-nicks"
My high school honors chemistry teacher failed to comprehend that rinsing a beaker with tap water that had previously only contained distilled water meant that it was conceivably dirtier than when she started.
Texas high schools suck
#50
sixpackshaker
sixpackshaker
#51
sixpackshaker
sixpackshaker
#52
drawn_inward
drawn_inward
#53
PatrThom
PatrThom
#54
General Specific
General Specific
#55
GasBandit
GasBandit