How to pronounce Orthodox words

[Anna]

Okay, I have a silly little question. Most of the knowledge I have about Orthodoxy comes from books and the internet. As as result, I run into Orthodox words all the time that I'm not really sure how to pronounce.

I know I won't be able to think of all of them at the moment, but here are a few that I would love to know how to pronounce correctly. I'm sure I'll continue adding many, MANY more to the list, as can anyone else so inclined. Here are a few to start with.

hieromonk
akathist
orthros
typica
compline
matins
oekonomeia (okay, I'm sure I spelled this wrong)
theologumenon (probably spelling this one wrong too! )
matushka
khouria
St. Gregory Palamas (just the Palamas part )
St. Basil the Great (BAYsil or Basil?)

Any help would be appreciated.

[choirfiend]

hieromonk---HIGH-aero-munk said very fast, kinda like how you say Cairo, Egypt..
akathist----AA-kuh-thist
orthros----OAR-thros (long O)
typica--TEE-pee-kah
compline----CAHM-plin (long I)
matins----MA-tins (short I)
oekonomeia----e-cah-nah-MEE-ah (like economy with an "ah" at the end)
theologumenon----THE-o-LO-goo-men-on (TH like wiTH, not THat.)
matushka----MAH-tush-ka
khouria--koor-EE-ah
St. Gregory Palamas----PAHL-ah-mahs
St. Basil the Great (BAYsil or Basil?) Just like the normal way--Americans say Bay-sil, British say Basil.

Where do you live? Have you gotten in touch with a priest in your area? We can help you find parishes if you wish.

[Nigula Qian Zishi]

typica--TEE-pee-kah

I have NEVER heard it pronounced this way. Always Tih-puh-ka. Sounds like typical without the l.

[Veniamin]

khouria--koor-EE-ah

I've heard it pronounced "koor-ih-YEH" in Antiochian parishes.

[choirfiend]

All pronunciations to be taken with a grain of salt, with regional and cultural language differences. The best way to figure out how to say these words is to go to a church and hear how people say them!

[Anna]

Where do you live? Have you gotten in touch with a priest in your area? We can help you find parishes if you wish.

Thanks a bunch for your help. Yes, I have spoken with a priest -  briefly.ÂÂ  I'm not quite ready to jump all the way in just yet. I'm still dipping my toes in the water. I feel the need to do a bit more reading, praying, and researching on my own. I'm the type that once I walk in the door to spend some time really talking to a priest, I'll already be at the point of asking him to make me a catechumen.

[yBeayf]

compline----CAHM-plin (long I)

Hmm.. this one I've always heard pronounced with a short I, so it sounds like KOM-plinn. And I second the good deacon's pronunciation of typika.

The most important rule to remember, though, is to always pronounce matushka as MAtushka and *never* maTUSHka; otherwise, it will sound like м*нд*шка, which is a very naughty word.

[arjuna3110]

How about "philokalia"?   

I have heard it pronounced  in two ways:

fai-low-KAH-lee-uh  (American ?)

fee-low-kah-LEE-ah  (Greek ?)

Which do you recommend?

[Esteban]

Fee-low-kah-LEE-ah, for sure. This is indeed where the accent falls in Greek.

Also, although the pronunciation of "Compline" with a long "i" is listed in a few dictionaries as an alternate pronunciation, the purists among us will always, unfailingly pronounce it KAHM-plinn.  The long "i" makes me cringe as much as when I hear anyone pronounce "Byzantine", say, BUY-zan-teen or BIH-zan-tyne, rather than BIH-zan-teen.

--Julio

[yBeayf]

The Catholic Encyclopedia even spells it Complin.

[Marat]

How about filioque?

[Fr. George]

Fee-lee-OH-kweh

Of course, this is NOT an "Orthodox" word... haha

[yBeayf]

How about filioque?

Fee-lee-OH-kway.

[MicahJohn]

Okay, here's my definitive answers: (wish there was an uppity-looking smiley)

hieromonk
hy-ro-monk

akathist
a-KA-thist

orthros
OAR-throce (as in "most")

typica
TIP-ih-ka

compline
COM-plyne

matins
MA-tins

oekonomeia
e-koh-no-ME-ah

theologumenon
they-oh-loh-goo-MEH-non (with a hard "th)

matushka
MA-tush-ka (like "tush", your backside, with a hard T; don't make it a D)
This is authentic, I heard it from the Russians.

khouria
like Korea but with an Arabic-style khah for the kh

St. Gregory Palamas (just the Palamas part )
pah-la-MOSS

St. Basil the Great (BAYsil or Basil?)
I like BAA-sil personally, but all I've heard is BAY-sil...

For the others mentioned:

Philokalia
fee-lo-kay-LEE-a

Filioque
fee-lee-OH-kway (it's proper Latin...)

I'll add my own, too:
Chrysostom
krih-SOS-tum (never KRIH-suh-stum)

Potatoe (yes the E is correct)
puh-TAH-to

Tomatoe
tuh-MAH-to

Don't go taking me TOO seriously here.

[Fr. George]

theologoumenon is

the-o-lo-GOO-me-non

and in english Akathist is

AH-ka-thist (even though in the Greek it is a-KA-thee-stos)

[Birgitta]

St. Basil the Great (BAYsil or Basil?)

St. Basil, not BAYsil. 

[jmbejdl]

This may sound strange given the number of years I've been Orthodox, but how are you supposed to pronounce Theotokos? The reason I ask is that my priest is slowly introducing more English into our Liturgy and last week I was asked to read the prayers of preparation for the Eucharist from the horologion (I think that they're using me to do all the English stuff that I can because I'm the only non-Romanian in the parish). I got to the word Theotokos, which I realised I'd read many times but never said, and stumbled a little. I decided on THE-oh-TOH-kos, but I've absolutely no idea if I was right or not. If someone can let me know before Sunday it might save me some embarrassment!

James

[Fr. George]

the-oh-TO-kos

and the accent stays on that syllable no matter what (sometimes in Greek you have a migrating accent; not in this particular case).

[jmbejdl]

the-oh-TO-kos

and the accent stays on that syllable no matter what (sometimes in Greek you have a migrating accent; not in this particular case).

Thanks. I wasn't too far out then. I take it that the 'e' sounds more like 'ay' than 'ee', as that's usually the case for most European languages?

James

[MicahJohn]

My brother has apparently heard thay-AH-tu-kis...sacrilege!

I can't stand it when people say they-uh-TO-kiss instead of they-oh-TOH-kos, but that's how country western people tend to do it...

[Meekle]

My brother has apparently heard thay-AH-tu-kis...sacrilege!

I can't stand it when people say they-uh-TO-kiss instead of they-oh-TOH-kos, but that's how country western people tend to do it...

I thought country westerns do it, "That there's a big word, awright, a mighty biggun!" 

[Fr. George]

Thanks. I wasn't too far out then. I take it that the 'e' sounds more like 'ay' than 'ee', as that's usually the case for most European languages?

James

When the Greek equivelant of the letter "e" is used (except in dipthongs) it is always pronounced short, like "eh" in "set."  When you want an "ee" sound, it is either produced with a dipthong (ei, oi, and theoretically ui) or with the particular vowels that have that character (I, H, and Y).

So in Theotokos, it is pronounced theh-o-TO-kos, with the o's being short like "oh".

[serb1389]

Anyone out there know Church Slavonic as a language.  i.e. linguistics, grammar, pronunciation, etc.  Let me know. 

[admiralnick]

My Dad knows the language pretty well. They used to have school when he was a child 3x's a week.

[bergschlawiner]

Of course, this is NOT an "Orthodox" word... haha

Excuse me for asking but as a linguist I am wondering just what an "orthodox" word is?

[serb1389]

Admiralnick, can you ask your dad if there are differences between lets say Russian church slavonic, Serbian, Bulgarian, etc.?  Because I could swear that there is.  When I tried to read through St. Tikhon's prayer book with both English and Church Slavonic, there were abreviations in the church slavonic that i've never seen before.  And i've been looking at it my whole life.  (but i've never actually learned it..hence the question).  Does he know if differences exist and what ar they?  you can be very general, i know that the question isn't specific.  Wish I could give you an example but we don't have that font here...haha.  Any help you could give would be great. 

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