The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 27, July 4, 2004, Article 11

YOU SAY TO-MAY-TO, I SAY TO-MAH-TO: THE PRONUNCIATION OF "FECIT"

  Three readers responded to Dick Johnson's note of last
  week on the proper pronunciation of the word "fecit".  Their
  comments relate to the way the word is pronounced in the
  Latin tongue, and how this translates into modern English.

  Ron Ambler writes; "I take exception to the statement
  'Unknowing collectors say something like""fek-it" or "fac-it."
  The correct pronunciation is "FEE-sit."'

  "FEE-sit" is only one correct pronunciation of "fecit."  "FEE-sit"
  is the classical pronunciation, but "FAY-chit" is the ecclesiastical
  pronunciation.  There are those who look down their classically
  educated noses at ecclesiastical pronunciation, but the Roman
  Catholic Church spoke Latin contemporaneously with the
  Romans, and they preserved Latin through the Middle Ages to
  the present time.  Their pronunciation is accepted as AT LEAST
  as correct as the Johnny-come-lately classicists."

  In a similar vein, Ken Berger  writes: "I must disagree!
  Fecit is not pronounced FEE-sit.  Latin had two
  pronunciations: classical & vulgate. The classical was
  spoken by the upper class while the vulgate was spoken
  by the masses.  In classical pronunciation, fecit is
  pronounced FAY-kit; in vulgate pronunciation, it would
  be FAY-chit.  The pronunciation FEE-sit is the
  pronunciation of fecit as if it was an English language word.

  This is similar to the pronunciation of the word, fungi.
  Most people say FUN-ji or FUN-gee (w/ a soft g). In
  classical Latin, it's FUN-gee (w/ a hard g).  Anyway, as I
  said, fecit is never pronounced FEE-sit in the Latin language.

  Another example is the word Caesar.  In English, it's See-sar;
  in vulgate Latin, it's Chay-sar, in classical Latin, it's Ky-sar
  (hence the word Kaiser).  Interesting, wouldn't you say?"

  Martin Purdy's writes: "Sorry, but I beg to differ.  The letter c
  in Latin was hard, regardless of what letter followed, so
  "FAKE it"  is quite a good approximation.  I could cope with
  " FAYtchit" as well, given the development of the sound into
  Italian over the centuries, but "FEE-sit" is dreadful.  English
  pronunciation habits do not apply to Latin when used
  *as Latin*.    Latin words that have been borrowed into
  English are a different matter, however - does anyone
  remember the British comedy sketch in which the lawyer
  insisted on fastidious Latin pronunciation, asking the court,
  "Where is the aLEEbee?"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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