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Hey DaveW


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That's it, CajunShroomer.

I don't yet have this book. I'll probably pick it up. I'm guessing that one reason for this new edition is to reflect the recent changes in bolete nomenclature. But I'm sure there are at least a few species in it that were not featured in the original North American Boletes.

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The changes in names are due to molecular information (DNA) as opposed to microscopic traits. From what I have heard, the genus Boletus will now include only a few species, the non-staining King Bolete types. The rest of the former Boletus species are now placed into Xerocomus, Xerocomellus, Cyanoboletus, Butyriboletus, Hortiboletus, and others. So there will be a whole lot of new words to learn :-) Thankfully, the species names often do not change, except for the occasional name ending changing from "-a" to "-us" (or vice-verse) as per the rules of Latin.

I'm just guessing this is the main reason for the new book. But I'd also expect there to be some featured species that didn't make it into the original NAB. The original book includes a collection of unnamed species. Maybe some of these IDs have been settled during the past few years...?

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Pronouncing Latin and Greek Names

by Michael Kuo

Oh, who cares?

Pronounce the Latin names of mushrooms any way that works for you, and if someone laughs at you, maybe you can think of some other names, in clear English, to pronounce for them.

Nothing is worse than an English speaking mycologist who corrects people's Latin pronunciation. I mean, it's not like the "correct" pronunciation is anywhere close to the way Latin should be pronounced. For crying out loud, the "correct" pronunciation of Amanita in English rhymes with (I) "am a fighta" ("not a lova").

Those of us who suffered through highschool Latin recall our teachers' explanations about "Church Latin" ("vaynee, veedee, veechee" for veni, vidi, vici) and "real" Latin ("waynee, weedee, weekee"). Now we've got Mispronounced Mycological Latin to throw in the mix?

And how about those antepenultimate syllable people who insist on stressing the second-to-last syllable every time? "Lie-AW-full-um" for Lyophyllum, and so on. When you ask them what they're doing (like, "Excuse me, what are you doing?") they tell you it's a rule. Ask them why they don't, therefore, say "stro-bill-OH-my-seas" for Strobilomyces, and they've got nothing.

Because English is the international language these days (or because Americans and Brits are less open-minded about such things and the rest of the world finds it easier to just cave in), mycologists from countries that don't speak English have adopted the mispronunciations used by English speaking mycologists--though I suspect they secretly wince inside with every term. When not in the presence of English speaking mycologists, however, many pronounce the names in ways that are more reasonable--like, "ah-mah-nee-tah"--especially the mycologists from countries whose languages descend from Latin.

I like it !!!!!!! LOL Who the heck cares anyway right ?! I will still do some pronunciation research. I remember eat bolete started a topic a while back on it. I'll go back to that and read as well.

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At the big national forays, some people say "am-ah-NEE-ta" and some say "am-ah-NIE-ta". My understanding is there are no actual rules governing pronunciation of the Latin names. However, I may be the only person there who says "IN-oh-cy-bee" with the accent on the first syllable. It's the Pennsyltucky pronunciation :-)

But the "---a" vs. "---us" thing is a real pain. Some genera are, by the rules of Latin that I don't understand, masculine and end in "us", and some are feminine and end in "a". Often, when the nomenclature is updated to include a change in genus, the "a" changes to an "us", or vice-verse. It's just another detail to have to deal with, if you wish to discuss scientific species. Example: Boletus badius is now Imleria badia.

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