How is this pronounced? (subitize)

[Math Is Hard]

subitize

I looked it up in an online dictionary and it said it is pronounced like "soobitize". However, we had a guest lecturer in class last week and she pronounced it like "suhbitize".

Does anyone know which is correct?

 

[binzing]

Its probably dependant upon where the speaker is from. For example, people from the US and Brits might say it differently. A better dictionary might even say that it may be used either way. LOL, it doesn't even show up in the Miriam-Webster 11th Edition I have.

 

[Evo]

I'd go with suhbitize. All such words, subterfuge, subsidize, subsistence, etc... all have the same pronunciation.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks for the help. I have a feeling that whichever one I pick, it will be the opposite of what the professor thinks it is. LOL
But I guess I will go with "suhb".

 

[Astronuc]

I'd go with suhbitize. All such words, subterfuge, subsidize, subsistence, etc... all have the same pronunciation.

On the other hand, in the words: subterfuge, subsidize, subsistence, the letter 'b' is followed by a consonant, so by convention sub is pronounce suhb, and is usually a separate syllable (and often a prefix). Often, when the group 'sub' is followed by a vowel, the u is long, soo, and the b is part of the second syllable (su·bi·tize). I think the English and Australians would pronounce syoobitize.

subitize - to perceive at a glance the number of items presented.

 

[Gokul43201]

Definitely soobitize.

 

[robphy]

http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0676727.html
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/subitize?r=14

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I'm pretty sure my daughter is good at subitizing, as she can add 13 digit numbers in her head and give the right answer immediately. I asked her what's 2 trillion plus 3 trillion and she got it in a flash.

 

[DaveC426913]

Hmph. And I got in trouble yesterday for pronouncing chootney instead of chuhtney.

 

[Moonbear]

Well, without having a clue what the word meant (thanks to Astronuc for providing the definition) nor having ever seen or heard it pronounced before, upon seeing it in the thread title, I pronounced it soo-bi-tize. Astronuc's explanation makes sense of why it's NOT suhb-i-tize (that would just break every spelling, syllabication and pronunciation rule I've ever learned).

 

[Evo]

On the other hand, in the words: subterfuge, subsidize, subsistence, the letter 'b' is followed by a consonant, so by convention sub is pronounce suhb, and is usually a separate syllable (and often a prefix). Often, when the group 'sub' is followed by a vowel, the u is long, soo, and the b is part of the second syllable (su·bi·tize). I think the English and Australians would pronounce syoobitize.

subitize - to perceive at a glance the number of items presented.

Yep, I didn't even think of that.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Often, when the group 'sub' is followed by a vowel, the u is long, soo, and the b is part of the second syllable.

I don't know about that. There's subatomic, subequal, subinvariant, subordinate, suburb.

I think the issue is that the prefix sub-, meaning under or less than, is probably always pronounced the same regardless of the next letter. The thing that makes subitize different is that sub- is not a prefix in that word. It derives from the latin word subitus, meaning sudden.

 

[BobG]

It's from subito, which is pronounced soob-ito, so I'd assume it's pronounced soob-itize.

It's a niche word you don't see in everyday use and isn't even included in a lot of dictionaries, so maybe the lecturer just guessed.

Interesting subject. It's how you can teach a dog or horse to count. Remember how Roy Roger's horse, Trigger, could count to three? If Roy Rogers had a parrot instead of a horse, he could have 'counted' all the way up to four! Of course, I guess that would have required quite a few other changes in the show, as well.

I've been working with my dog to see how high she can go numerically. So far, we're up to \int^{\pi}_0 sin(x) dx

 

[jim mcnamara]

suberin - soo-ber-in
subitize - soo-bi-tize

Astronuc has it - no following consonant after the letter "b"

 

[Math Is Hard]

It's a niche word you don't see in everyday use and isn't even included in a lot of dictionaries, so maybe the lecturer just guessed.

Ordinarily, I would think that it was just a guess, but this was a cognitive psychology post-doc who pronounced it "suhbitize". It may fall outside of her area of specialization, but I would think that she had heard this word pronounced before.

 

[dst]

Soob (more so 'syoobitise"), it feels 'natural' to me.

But then again, I just found out it's Oiler, not Euler

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Tsubitize - to perceive at a glance everything not yet done by Ivan.

 

[dst]

Soob, it feels 'natural' to me.

But then again, I just found out it's Oiler, not Euler

Now where's that book on Oiclid's Elements...

 

[Evo]

Tsubitize - to perceive at a glance everything not yet done by Ivan.

Now Tsubitize is easy. I guess I won't be giving out pronunciations when I'm going to sleep anymore.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Tsubitize - to perceive at a glance everything not yet done by Ivan.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Let me ask you guys something else: how do you pronounce "Phi" (the Greek letter)? Do you say "Fie" or "Fee"?

 

[Evo]

Let me ask you guys something else: how do you pronounce "Phi" (the Greek letter)? Do you say "Fie" or "Fee"?

THIS one I know, it's Fie, it's a long I.

 

[Andre]

but I would think that she had heard this word pronounced before.

Most probably in the UK. I'd say

 

[Math Is Hard]

That's how I say it, too. So I never would have guessed that the Phi in "http://www.cogsci.uci.edu/~ddhoff/vi6fig1.html" " is pronounced like "Fee"!

Crazy cognitive psychologists.

 

[BobG]

Let me ask you guys something else: how do you pronounce "Phi" (the Greek letter)? Do you say "Fie" or "Fee"?

It's "fee".

Now that you mention it, fraternities and sororities pronounce it "fie".

According to an article on Greek food, it should be pronounced "fee".

Ruh-\rho. According to the Greek food article \pi is pronounced "pee", \mu is pronounced "mee", and \nu is pronounced "nee".

To be honest, there is no standard pronunciation for Greek letters. The most common pronunciation scheme comes from some guy named Erasmus. However, there's several accents or dialects in Greece and no real agreement on which pronunciation variation is the 'official' version.

Although I hear it's supposed to be fun to ask a Greek to ask for Fish 'n Chips.

 

[Evo]

What! I thought it was FIE unless preceeded by a vowel, as in Alpha Phi, pronounced Alpha FEE, but it's Phi "fie" Beta Cappa.

 

[DaveC426913]

On the other hand, in the words: subterfuge, subsidize, subsistence, the letter 'b' is followed by a consonant, so by convention sub is pronounce suhb, and is usually a separate syllable (and often a prefix). Often, when the group 'sub' is followed by a vowel, the u is long, soo, and the b is part of the second syllable (su·bi·tize). I think the English and Australians would pronounce syoobitize.

subitize - to perceive at a glance the number of items presented.

Isn't the pronunciation more dependent on the etymology of the word? i.e. it stems from the Latin subitus, which means sudden.



P.S. Most people are able to subitize only as high as six; higher than that and you almost invariably have to group objects.

I've often wondered how high some of those savants can subitize. It would appear that Rain Man can subitize as high as - what was it? 149?

 

[BobG]

Isn't the pronunciation more dependent on the etymology of the word? i.e. it stems from the Latin subitus, which means sudden.



P.S. Most people are able to subitize only as high as six; higher than that and you almost invariably have to group objects.

I've often wondered how high some of those savants can subitize. It would appear that Rain Man can subitize as high as - what was it? 149?

82. To count 246 toothpicks, he had to look at them in three groups. That was a movie. I don't think that could happen in real life.

 

[Evo]

Let me ask you guys something else: how do you pronounce "Phi" (the Greek letter)? Do you say "Fie" or "Fee"?

I'm not answering anymore.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I'm not answering anymore.

I'm just going to quit talking and learn sign language.