How do you pronounce the name of the author of the popular topology book?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the pronunciation of the name of James Munkres, the author of a well-known topology book. Participants explore various pronunciations and express differing opinions on the matter.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest the pronunciation "moon-kruh."
  • Others claim it is pronounced "Mun-kers."
  • One participant mentions hearing it as "Munk-rees."
  • A participant questions the relevance of the discussion to mathematics, suggesting it should be moved to a different forum.
  • Several participants reference external sources, noting that they are not definitive, to support their claims about pronunciation.
  • One participant raises the idea that the pronunciation may vary and questions whether even James Munkres knows the correct pronunciation.
  • A participant who took classes with Munkres states that his name rhymes with "bunkers."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the correct pronunciation, with multiple competing views expressed throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants acknowledge that the sources they reference are not ideal, and there is uncertainty regarding the historical pronunciation of the name.

ehrenfest
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Does anyone know how to pronounce the name of the author of the popular topology book?
 
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moon-kruh
 
I say Mun-kers.
 
Uh, how is this a math question? Should be moved to GD or something.
 
http://say.expressivo.com/jennifer/munkres%20topology (but this is not definitive)

From "Elementary Differential Topology",
http://say.expressivo.com/jennifer/Differential%20topology%20may%20be%20defined%20as%20the%20study%20of%20those%20properties%20of%20differentiable%20manifolds%20which%20are%20invariant%20under%20differentiable%20homeomorphisms .
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've always heard it pronounced Munk-rees
 
I thought Munkres was a French last name. That's why I said moon-kruh.

How would anyone who doesn't know Munkres personally know how to pronounce his last name. Just because your professor pronounces it a certain way does not mean he's right, because how does he know?
 
Last edited:
This page (I know, I know, it's not really an ideal source) makes me believe it's Mun-kers, which is how my topology professor pronounced it.
 
morphism said:
This page (I know, I know, it's not really an ideal source) makes me believe it's Mun-kers, which is how my topology professor pronounced it.

Since that page admits that there are various pronunciation of Munkres, is it possible that James Munkres himself doesn't know the pronunciation of his own last name (i.e. how it was pronounced by his ancestors)?
 
  • #10
I took two classes from Professor Munkres in college. (He is a magnificent teacher, by the way.) His name rhymes with the English word "bunkers."
 

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