I know it's pronounced kyoo-bye, and all, but...

[SpottedKitty]

Thanks for the more accurate quote, Rafe. I did have it before, but I lost one of my .sig quote files a while back: the one with that Nicoll quote, of course.     I found that version after a quick Google or two.

<reads a few more replies> Wow, that's more than I ever thought I remembered about Latin grammar. I only took it for a couple of years at school, then dropped it as soon as it wasn't a compulsory subject. That complicated declension scheme makes me wonder how the more educated Romans ever managed to say anything at all...   

[Brunhidden]

Hasn't anyone wondered if it could have been, say, Mesopotamian or Sumerian in origin? Many of these words were used by older cultures long before the item in question was ever actually around, and the older word stuck for some reason.

For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed.

[Zedd]

Its gonna be a hell of pain for everyone

[superluser]

Hasn't anyone wondered if it could have been, say, Mesopotamian or Sumerian in origin? Many of these words were used by older cultures long before the item in question was ever actually around, and the older word stuck for some reason.

Not spelt like that.  Succubus shows very telltale signs of being developed in or after Latin.  Cubo means ``I lie (down),'' and sub is a preposition which means `below.'  Adding prepositions to verbs in Latin will usually follow a very particular formula.  Imagine calling someone a subcubus.  It doesn't flow well.  So sub- plus a verb that begins with a c will result in the new verb beginning with succ- (e.g. the Latin roots of succumb, succour).

As such, the word looks as Latin as Caesar Augustus wearing laurel wreaths.

That doesn't rule out the possibility that the idea came from other languages, or that the component parts (sub-, in-, cubo) came from other languages.  Indeed, it's quite likely that they came from some other language.  I don't know Sumerian or any Mesopotamian languages, so I don't know how likely it is that it came from either of them.

Kasarn mentioned that dictionary.com said it came from Middle English and asked what the OED said about it.  The OED says that succubus came from medieval Latin.  Depending on when and where the word first came into usage, it could be very difficult to determine whether it's medieval Latin or Middle English or Middle English meant to look like Latin.  Everyone, however, seems to agree that incubus is late Latin.

[Reese Tora]

I dunno, I've always (mentally) pronounced it coo-bee when it's spelt 'cubi'

That or cyoo-bee seems to me to be the best way to pronounce it.

[Brunhidden]

Not spelt like that.  Succubus shows very telltale signs of being developed in or after Latin.  Cubo means ``I lie (down),'' and sub is a preposition which means `below.'  Adding prepositions to verbs in Latin will usually follow a very particular formula.  Imagine calling someone a subcubus.  It doesn't flow well.  So sub- plus a verb that begins with a c will result in the new verb beginning with succ- (e.g. the Latin roots of succumb, succour).

language always irks me- a great many of our words are just foreign language names for things. a large and educated sounding word may translate from the old tounge into something along the lines of 'egg beater' or 'chair fire' or some other combination of unrelated words. Ever imagine translating a sentence including all the words that came from other languages? a great many fancy words from Latin or French or whatnot will sound really stupid.

another language experiment with similar end results- write down a few sentences spoken by one of those people who swear constantly and in poor context, then translate it into proper english. keep in mind that 'f---' translates into 'fornicate' and 'fag/(I am not smart enough to use polite words)' translates into 'bundle of sticks' and 'b----' translates into 'female dog'. read the translated sentences aloud, and try not to laugh.

In anger we should refrain both from speech and action.

[Naldru]

Many years ago, my father was involved with an engineering society that had raised the idea of using the word ingenieur instead of engineer.  He said that it sounded good in that it emphasized ingenuity.  When I pointed out that it was bascially just the French and German spelling of engineer, his attitude changed immediately and it no longer  seemed so attractive.

Another interesting exercise would be to see what some names would sound you like if you actually translated them into modern English.  A lot of them would sound like the native American names that people make phone of.  For example, what does Eagle Ruler Blackened Mountain bring to mind.  Of course, I don't know if you would want to make fun of Arnold Schwarzenegger's name.

By the way, I think the proper pronunciation for cubi is whatever Amber says it is.  It's her world, we just get to read it.

[AndersW]

My dad has always wanted to design English.  Not redesign, it was never designed in the first place.

[Turnsky]

My dad has always wanted to design English.  Not redesign, it was never designed in the first place.

i've been always taught that modern english is quite often got a fair amount of other languages in it, differing from region to region.
Thus the differing variants on the english language, from UK, European, India, Americas, Australia, etc.

it quite often assimilates various parts of other languages, french, spanish, hebrew (mostly yiddish i think) italian, greek, gaelic, welsh, well, you get the idea.

[Tapewolf]

it quite often assimilates various parts of other languages, french, spanish, hebrew (mostly yiddish i think) italian, greek, gaelic, welsh, well, you get the idea.

Offhand I'm not aware of any Welsh words that have been assimilated into English, but the reverse is all-too common.  This is particularly the case in North Wales, where they seem to have been trying to create their own language by taking English words and making them sound more Welsh because they have lost the original words - in many ways it can be considered an undead language.  Traditional Welsh supposedly becomes more prevalent as you head west.

[Turnsky]

it quite often assimilates various parts of other languages, french, spanish, hebrew (mostly yiddish i think) italian, greek, gaelic, welsh, well, you get the idea.

Offhand I'm not aware of any Welsh words that have been assimilated into English, but the reverse is all-too common.  This is particularly the case in North Wales, where they seem to have been trying to create their own language by taking English words and making them sound more Welsh because they have lost the original words - in many ways it can be considered an undead language.  Traditional Welsh supposedly becomes more prevalent as you head west.

prolly..
mind you, that was the way the english was back in the day, their empire was spread so far, that if you couldn't speak english (or some semblance of it) you were pretty well screwed in the eyes of the empire.
while it's true that aussies spoke english to begin with, we've developed our own vernacular over the years. Steve Irwin and Paul "Croc Dundee" Hogan were reasonable examples of common australian speech, although that varies largely from place to place, like anywhere else.. i'm fairly sure the UK in general has a fair amount of differing examples.. .

and to me, there's two types of "scottish" accent, Sean Connery bond-speak, and "mouth full of mashed spuds" speak.

[Mashi]

*grumble mutter curse*

The plural of fungus is fungi.
The plural of cactus is cacti.
The plural of incubus is incubi, as is succubus is succubi.
In-kyu-by
Suc-kyu-by.

THE BLOODY FRIGGIN' END.

[techmaster-glitch]

You forget that 'cubi' is also used as SINGLULAR.
ZOMG! It's not the end!

[Aridas]

It's a made up word. THE END. *shoots techmaster*

[Reese Tora]

It's a made up word. THE END. *shoots techmaster*

And Amber made it up.  As such, until she definitively says how it's pronounced, there is no right or wrong way to say it.  The begining?

[techmaster-glitch]

Thank you, Reese.

[Mashi]

"Cubi" may be used as a singular term.
And it's not a made-up word, it's just a shorter version that is not gender-specific taken from the original words.

I swear at this time of night, I thought you said Amber made up the whole succubus/incubus thing. If that happened, I'd have to whip out my encyclopedia of mythology and whap you guys upside the head with it.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

As an off the wall question, how would it be pronounced if you had a french accent? 

Maybe Quree Bay, as Q and B (the way I pronounce it, QB) in french is pronounced that way.

Sorry, you can ignore this post now.

[techmaster-glitch]

I swear at this time of night, I thought you said Amber made up the whole succubus/incubus thing.

The WORD 'Cubi' was made up by Amber. No one has suggested that she made up the concepts of succubus/incubus as well, though I'm sure ther are a few devoted ones here who would like to credit her with that.

[Aridas]

I thought the forum people made it up and then Amber started using it.

[techmaster-glitch]

Ho, if that's the case, then there definately is no right or wrong way to say it!

[Aridas]

But there is. It still came from real words with real pronunciation. Stop being an asshole already. I'm arguing with sense, you're just arguing to piss me off.

[techmaster-glitch]

I was agreeing with you. Unless you were not suggesting that there is no right or wrong way to say it, in which case you weren't very clear, and I misinterpreted.

[Aridas]

There isn't not any right or wrong way to say it. "Q-bye" is the only way to say it, and any other way had better be because of someone's accent. Both words use that form. The sound will be the same. The MEANING of the word and whether it's both singular and plural WILL NOT change the pronunciation, and this whole thread needs to be closed for the general lack of sense going on in the entire thing.

[terrycloth]

*grumble mutter curse*

The plural of fungus is fungi.
The plural of cactus is cacti.

Except that those are pronounced 'fun-gee' and 'kak-tie'. So you could go either way. And ky00-bee is the best because it's cutest. QED

[techmaster-glitch]

Well said, Terrycloth.

[Tapewolf]

The plural of fungus is fungi.
The plural of cactus is cacti.

Except that those are pronounced 'fun-gee' and 'kak-tie'.

According to the OED is pronounced 'fun-guy'.

[Zedd]

The plural of fungus is fungi.
The plural of cactus is cacti.

Except that those are pronounced 'fun-gee' and 'kak-tie'.

According to the OED is pronounced 'fun-guy'.

*wiggles with a mushroom cap on*

[Reese Tora]

There isn't not any right or wrong way to say it. "Q-bye" is the only way to say it, and any other way had better be because of someone's accent. Both words use that form. The sound will be the same. The MEANING of the word and whether it's both singular and plural WILL NOT change the pronunciation, and this whole thread needs to be closed for the general lack of sense going on in the entire thing.

While the word 'cubi' is based on the real words incubus and succubus, the actual word is made up, and specifically used only in the DMFA community.  As such, the proper way to pronounce the word would be based on the concensus of said community.  While the word is derived from real words, and no one disagrees on that point, there is no rule in the english language that says that a derived word needs to take all pronunciation cues from the word it was derived from.

That said, I believe that, should we really want to resolve this debate, we should start a poll and ask the community that this word belongs to how they pronounce it.

[techmaster-glitch]

Or just let bygones be bygones and let everyone say it how they want to say it.