How Do You Pronounce Kac and Henneaux?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the pronunciation of the names "Kac" and "Henneaux," particularly in the context of Kac-Moody algebras and the Brown-Henneaux central charge. Participants explore the complexities of phonetics and the challenges of conveying pronunciation through text.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that "Kac" is pronounced similarly to "cuts," while others propose it sounds more like "cots" or "kahts," referencing its Polish origins.
  • There is a discussion about the pronunciation of "Henneaux," with some indicating that the "H" is not pronounced, while others express uncertainty about this point.
  • One participant questions the meaning of "real e" and "real o," leading to a deeper exploration of vowel sounds in English and their variations.
  • Another participant notes that the pronunciation of "Kac" may have evolved to sound like "cats" in the US, suggesting a potential shift due to migration.
  • There is a mention of the difficulty in discussing pronunciation solely through written words, with some participants suggesting that "proper" might be a better term than "real" when referring to vowel sounds.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the correct pronunciation of both names, with no consensus reached on the specifics of how "Kac" and "Henneaux" should be pronounced.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the complexities of phonetic representation and the influence of language origin on pronunciation, with various assumptions about how names are pronounced in different languages.

Afonso Campos
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Hey guys, this is a rather silly question, but does anyone know how to pronounce

1. Kac in Kac-Moody algebras

2. Henneaux in Brown Henneaux central charge?

Don't want to make a fool of myself when talking to people.
 
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A bit difficult to write without pronunciation letters. In usual English "words" it is Kac = cuts. Henneaux is a bit more difficult, as there is neither a real "e" nor a real "o" in English. The "H" at the beginning isn't spoken. So it is a bit like "a-knoh" with a short "a" as in normal non-emphasized "a" and a long "oh" but preferably without any "u" sound at the end, i.e. not as in "know".
 
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Thanks a lot!
 
fresh_42 said:
A bit difficult to write without pronunciation letters. In usual English "words" it is Kac = cuts.
According to this wikipedia page, the Polish name Kac sounds more like "cots" or "kahts" than "cuts." As Kac is a Polish name, maybe @Borek can weigh in here.
fresh_42 said:
Henneaux is a bit more difficult, as there is neither a real "e" nor a real "o" in English.
What do you mean by "real e" and "real o"?
Isn't the 'e' in "be" a "real" e?
And isn't the 'o' in "go" a "real" o?
Granted, both of these vowels have two pronunciations, with long e as in "be" and short e as in "bed" and long o as in bone vs. short o as in cot.
 
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Mark44 said:
According to this wikipedia page, the Polish name Kac sounds more like "cots" or "kahts" than "cuts." As Kac is a Polish name, maybe @Borek can weigh in here.
It's Russian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Kac [kats] and the "a" isn't spoken "open" as "cots" would suggest. But I doubt that Russian or Polish would make a difference. It remains an "a" (as in cuts), not an "o". The only point is, that he migrated to the US, so he eventually is spoken "cats" now.
What do you mean by "real e" and "real o"?
Isn't the 'e' in "be" a "real" e?
And isn't the 'o' in "go" a "real" o?
Granted, both of these vowels have two pronunciations, with long e as in "be" and short e as in "bed" and long o as in bone vs. short o as in cot.
It's still difficult to talk about pronunciation only by written words. "real" might have been a bit misleading, perhaps I should have said "proper". I referred to the way Latin is pronounced. There is no "e" in English, neither the French "é" nor "e" and at best there is a "è". And the same is true for "o". Consider "woman" ['u], "women" ['i], "no" [ou] and "Norfolk" [ˈnɔːfək]. All but a "proper" "o" as in "omen". And if you pronounce "omen" as an English word, there is still a bit of an "u" to be heard. Perhaps the German name "Otto" is the closest you can get.

The only point I wasn't 100% sure about, was whether the "H" of Henneaux is pronounced or not. The French have both versions of an "H" depending on the following vowel. But if, it's merely to be heard so I thought it would be better not to pronounce it than with a loud breath.
 
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