I'm having an issue with your anus.

[marguerite_26]

so....

Littlest is big time into the solar system and his favourite planet is Uranus.

He learned to pronounce it from a Wall-E video game which pronounces it: you're a nuss.

Which is fine by me because I am 12 and still laugh at 'They found a new ring around Uranus' jokes.

Anyway... his teacher is insisting that the pronunciation is Your anus. Which has resulted in a few arguments in his Kindergarten class because to him: how can Wall-E be wrong???

I've tried google and so far everything says both are acceptable.

I'm wondering if it's a Canadian/American difference or if just people wanting to avoid the titters at this poor planet that gets more laughs than Pluto.

You guys want to share your thoughts on your anus?
see? 12.

Comments

[andinocara.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing that the difference is based largely on different schools of thought re: "correct" Latin pronunciation.


Like, apparently the Pine genus, Pinus, the Latin i should always have a long e type of sound (for the 12 year old in you).

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Hee. Pinus. :D

[hobnailedboots.livejournal.com]

In Britain both seem okay but I think the consensus is that it's your anus, with you're a nuss used to avoid snickers.

Incidentally, it took me until the third read of OotP before I got the Uranus joke.

[hobnailedboots.livejournal.com]

I've also heard some people say ooh rah nus, but that appears to be really rare.

[significantowl.livejournal.com]

Omg, as a teacher, if they want to pronounce it the way that does NOT sound like a body part, I'm more than happy with that!

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Lol. See? This is what i was thinking? Why is she insisting it,s your anus. If i was teacher i,d be all about avoiding the butt jokes.

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

There's the professional (astronomers') pronunciation ( /ˈjʊərənəs/ = ūr′·ə·nəs ) and the colloquial one ( /jʊˈreɪnəs/ = ū·rā′·nəs ). It all depends on how much you love your Latin. Wiki agrees!

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Yeah, i saw that on wiki, but i wasn,t sure if certain countries use one pronounciation more than the other.

[faithwood.livejournal.com]

I like your anus! >.>

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

And it likes you.

[groolover.livejournal.com]

When I was little, it was always "your AN-us"... but I remember very clearly that people started calling it "YOUR-uh-ness" from 1977, when the two Voyager spacecraft were launched (Voyager 2 visited Uranus in 1986). The general perception at the time was that TV presenters felt uncomfortable saying 'anus' out loud so they used a different pronunciation :p Ever since then, I've heard the latter pronunciation much more often in the media, but I've always thought of it with the former pronunciation because that's the one I learned first!

(Facts that may or not be relevant: I was born in 1964 and have always lived in the UK. Also, I've always been obsessed with astronomy (the first known photo of me is as a toddler looking at a newspaper photo of the moon!), and I was a member of an astronomical society as a teenager and went on to study astronomy at university.)

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

Oh interesting!

And that,s amazing that you stuck with astronomy for so long. Planets are cool. ;)

[annafugazzi.livejournal.com]

Meh, I've heard both. Prefer the you're a nuss. Because I'm also twelve :D

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

I love that you are twelve, too. :)

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

I hear it both ways here in California. I almost always say the 'you're a nuss' because I'm 12 and can't say it the other way with a straight face. My kids tend to say 'you're anus' and I look away.

We have the cutest of video of baby N learning the planets with a big floor puzzle and I really should post it. We tend to laugh at it because he kept saying Earps for Earth and was pretty darn adamant that it was Earps.

[frost.livejournal.com]

I heard you're-a-nuss once as a child and it stuck. I prefer it because it flows and has a softer sound (also the anus joke has always been pretty "meh" for me... >_>). I have to actually think about it, to pronounce your anus.

[subtlefire.livejournal.com]

I have only ever heard it pronounced as "Yer anus" (I'm American and was raised all over the Midwest and eastern US, if that means anything). But with the other option being "Urine us", I don't see how anyone is avoiding the giggles :)

[allichaton.livejournal.com]

I always heard it "your anus", until my high school astronomy class, when my teacher pronounced it "urine us" and the whole class giggled. He raised an eyebrow at all of us and said, "It's not like the other pronunciation is any better!"

[planejane.livejournal.com]

I used to teach science in the UK, and I've always pronounced it Your Anus. I used to say to the kids, all right, you can say it out loud 20 times, have a good laugh, get it out of your system then get over it. That generally worked. I learned to giggle on the inside!

I thought the change/difference in pronunciation was purely to avoid embarrassment, or was some American thing! But I doubt that that's true.

[tari_sue]

I've always pronounced it as it is spelt because that's how I first heard it – didn't even get the joke till I watched ET. I guess it depends on how the Greeks pronounce it, he's their god after all.

[harrysdragoness.livejournal.com]

i still giggle when i hear it pronounced your anus but i won't pronounce it the other way either :)

[katelinmr.livejournal.com]

To anus or not to anus, that is the question *nods*

I say your Anus, and hell, even in Dutch that's funny.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

My astronomy professor said 'your anus' is the correct one. I just thought it was funny.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I hear it pronounced both ways with pretty equal frequency. And really, either way you're kind of screwed -- one way sounds like "anus" and the other way sounds like "urine," so you're gonna have to stifle giggles no matter what.

Best. Planet. Ever.

[love-toall.livejournal.com]

I had a science teacher in middle school that insisted we call it 'The U-Planet.'

[shutupeccles.livejournal.com]

Littlest's teacher is a narrow-visioned tit. If you feel the need to prove your child correct (as is your right and duty) print out your evidence that both accents are scientifically acceptable. Make sure the prefix Wiki doesn't appear anywhere or you're screwed. Here in Australia both have become acceptable with Your Anus remaining dominant. If an Aussie can say it that way without chortling or smirking than congratulations, you're high society

Youngest's class were recently asked to write persuasive texts about the existence of fairies, supporting their own opinion. He asked how to spell bollocks because 'the tooth fairy is absolute bollocks'. Teacher told him and then laughed while telling me about it during parent-teacher interview. Encouraging independent thought FTW!

[venivincere]

…It's not as pretty as Neptune? Er.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

I've always pronounced it 'your anus.' *teehees in the corner like a 12 year old*

[tiffy190706.livejournal.com]

omg i can't believe there are people actually discussing this like grown ups... i am still laughing... maybe i am twelve, too...

[tourdefierce.livejournal.com]

You tell him that he can say it however he wants.

[clawdine]

I always pronounced it as You-ran-us >_>;
But then again, astronomy isn't taught in schools here!

[teapostal.livejournal.com]

I've always said it the humourus way. And I will until the day I die ;)

[steplianna.livejournal.com]

You want to talk 12 year old?

One of our fishermen at work is named Titus Uranus ______.

I kid you not (he has a normal last name though)

Every single time I type in or read his name, I say in my head, "how tight is your anus ____."