View Message

[Opinions] WDYTO and how do you pronounce Desiderata personally?
Today, in a story, my teacher pronounced it as "dez-(ih)-der-AHT-ah" but there's I in there so I always though it was more like dess-ih-DARE-ah-tah. Thanks!
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

Go placidly amid the noise and haste...Desiderata means "desired things" in Latin. it was the name of this poem that everyone had lacquered to cross sections of stumps and on plaques featuring frolicking kittens and stuff in the 1970s. I think it was mandatory that everyone had this poem hanging somewhere in their house ca. 1976. As a name it's a bit frilly for me, and I've only heard it pronounced like your teacher said.
vote up1
I'm probably doing it wrong, but I'd pronounce it deh-sih-deh-RAH-tah. I definitely pronounce the "i," and my "s" here is not as hard as a Z but not as soft as an S, either.I think it's kind of neat, but I don't see it working on a human in the modern world. Most of the names I love are in the same vein. ;)
vote up1
de ZI de RAH taI find it inconveniently long and clunky, and it reminds me of that ghastly fake load of burble that people used to stick to their fridges and on their bathroom doors.
vote up1
As your teacher does.
vote up1
I'd say "deh-si-deh-RAH-ta"
I don't care for the sound of it myself and it's bordering on "a bit too much for me".
vote up1
I say it just like your teacher.f
vote up1
I pronounce it like your teacher does. :)
vote up1
I would pronounce it the same way as your teacher, but I don't know if that's correct since I've never seen the name before! It's too frilly and over-complicated for me!
vote up1