|
about zoos in general, and good zoos in particular.
I love zoos!
*
What is a zoo?
*
Zoos are endangered!
*
Keep the elephants!
*
Zoos are for adults, too!
*
Comparing Elephant Webcams and Elephants
*
I love the Elmwood Park Zoo!
*
How do you pronounce oh-KAH-pee?
*
I love the National Zoo! (for 11 great reasons!)
*
There is a Moral to This (True) Story!
*
A Trend Turnaround
*
I love the Elmwood Park Zoo and the National Zoo's websites!
*
Winds of Change are in the Air!
*
Research Results
*
Don't Do It!
*
My Favorite Zoo ...
*
My Favorite Zoo UPDATE
*
******************************************************************************************
Friday, June 22, 2007
It is related to a giraffe, but it looks like at least one of its relatives (perhaps an aunt or an uncle) is a zebra.
It is called an okapi, which, according to the dictionary, is pronounced oh-KAH-pee. But the dictionary must be wrong, because no one ever pronounces it that way.
Whenever I am standing at an okapi exhibit in a zoo, I try to keep track of the various mispronunciations to see if one occurs more often than others. If so, maybe that could actually be the correct pronunciation, and someone should notify the publishers of dictionaries.
After looking over my notes, I see that the possible correct pronunciations are, in order of frequency of occurrence: oh-KAY-pee, oh-KAY-pi, OH-ka-pee, OH-ka-pi, and oh ... ka ... PEE, enunciated slowly, with puckered lips, and with so much emphasis on PEE that the child actually spits.
Based on the results of my research, the right thing to do would be to send letters to dictionary publishers and ask them to change the official pronunciation of the word to oh-KAY-pee since that is by far the most frequent pronunciation I have observed.
But this may be one of those cases where right or wrong isn't determined by statistical numbers. I actually think the child's exaggerated-enunciation version sounds most authentic, and is definitely the most fun to watch a person say, as long as you stand out of spit range.
Labels: okapi, zoo visitors
posted by Zoo Visitor
| 0 comments
0 Comments:
or contact me
Back to top of page
My websites:
I love the Philadelphia Zoo! (updated February 9, 2008)
I love zoos!
My other blogs:
A Zoo Visitor's Views
A Zoo Visitor's Opinions (Viewable by invitation only)
Zoo Visitor's Quizzes
Zoo Visitor's Template Tester (viewable by invitation only)
Zoos should make you feel like you are in the animals' territory.
Text, photos, and blog template source code © Merry L. Morris
|