Pronouncing In Situ

An amateur herpetologist in Tucson, Arizona, notes that there’s a raging debate among his fellow reptile enthusiasts about the term in situ, which is Latin for “in place.” Is it “in SIT-too,” “in SITCH-yoo,” “in-SYTE-too,” or “in-SEE-TOO.” The English Pronouncing Dictionary (Bookshop|Amazon) from Cambridge University Press cites nine different pronunciations in North America alone, and several more in the UK. This Latin expression has never been completely anglicized, so speakers of English have never settled on one single pronunciation for it. This is part of a complete episode.

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