Re: translation of dino names

["King, Norm" <nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu>]

Raptor (01/01/96, 2:40p) asked:

>What I meant was are there any books writen in Spanish so I can see how 
>what the names are.  Something like an encyclopedea.  I didn't ask for 
>the translation of the latin names.  I know there are books written in 
>German and was wondering if there are any by Spanish speaking 
>paleontologists?  For example T-rex in Spanish is Tyrannosaurio rex.  
the 
>y is pronounced "ee".  But that's the only one I know.  Thanks


_Tyrannosaurus rex_ in Spanish is _Tyrannosaurus rex_.  It's also 
_Tyrannosaurus rex_ in French, German, and Swahili, and SHOULD BE in 
every other language.  Formal taxonomic names are constructed with Greek 
or Latin roots, according to etymological rules of Latin.  Speaking 
Spanish does not change the Greek or Latin roots.  Therefore, it isn't 
proper to change any part of a formal taxonomic name no matter what your 
native tongue (these root words aren't English, either!).  The one who 
formally names a dinosaur (or any other fossil) using a non-Latin 
alphabet SHOULD specify, and therefore "set in stone," what the correct 
Latin transliteration is.  

When using these names in an INFORMAL way, you can put whatever endings 
on them you wish, or translate the words to whatever you want.  
Pronounciation isn't critical--just listen to different English-speaking 
paleontologists say _Parasaurolophus_ and _Ankylosaurus_, for example.  
So it really doesn't matter how individual letters are pronounced, or 
which syllables are accented. 
                                                   
                                                 

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Norman R. King                                       tel:  (812) 464-1794
Department of Geosciences                            fax:  (812) 464-1960
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712                      e-mail:  nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu