Pronunciation...

SoCaliSon

Avid Member
I don't know about you guys but I really rarely get the chance to talk chams with anyone outside of the forum. This may seem like a total newb thing... But I thought that it would be iteresting to see how everyone else pronounces those Crazy scientific names that make up our hobby. I found that you will hear variations even among experienced herpers. If you can think of any good ones that maybe you have been wondering about put them here and spell them out how you say them phonetically and next time your talking chams with someone you don't have to worry about sounding like an idiot.

The only Real one that I have heard variations on that stands out is "Ambilobe"...
I have heard it pronounced like "Am-be-low-bee" or "Am-be-lowb"

Or what would be really cool is if someone has a link to a site thats lists the species and subspecies along with a pronunciation.
 
I am sure I am wrong with most. I grew up in West Virginia hahahahaa. I think ambilobe is am-bill-o-bay could be wrong though.
 
I think it's ambiloBEE. I've heard it before.

The other one you'll hear mispronounced is Nosy Be. It's no-ssy (soft 's') bay.

I once found a chameleon site that had Malgassy pronunciations on .wav files, but I can't for the life of me find it again!
 
I don't know about you guys but I really rarely get the chance to talk chams with anyone outside of the forum. This may seem like a total newb thing... But I thought that it would be iteresting to see how everyone else pronounces those Crazy scientific names that make up our hobby. I found that you will hear variations even among experienced herpers. If you can think of any good ones that maybe you have been wondering about put them here and spell them out how you say them phonetically and next time your talking chams with someone you don't have to worry about sounding like an idiot.

The only Real one that I have heard variations on that stands out is "Ambilobe"...
I have heard it pronounced like "Am-be-low-bee" or "Am-be-lowb"

Or what would be really cool is if someone has a link to a site thats lists the species and subspecies along with a pronunciation.

The first time i was in a store and saw an ambilobe, i sorta was trying to sputter it out.. the store owner saved my feeble attempt with "Am-bee-uh-lobe".

If you really want to get into it - remember that most of (or all of?) the names come from the town they are near - for example Nosy Be's are on an island off the North cost actually called Nosy Be. Ambanja is south of this island, and Abilobe is to the NE. Sambava is on the east coast, and Diego Suarez to the south. Check out a map of Madagascar here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...14.344226,49.597778&spn=3.378997,5.097656&z=8

So basically, there IS a site with how to pronounce these! Malagasy is the native language, so go read up on that :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_language
 
Good question. I know when I went to the reptile show last October I had to ask Pam, of Pam's Chams, how to pronounce all these words I'd been using and typing for months. I felt like such a dufus. But then, in talking to importers and breeders on the phone, I discovered that they DO pronounce them all in their own way. If I ever make it to Madagascar, that is one of the things I would want to confirm.

Another thing I would want to do there is dig about 10 inches into the soil to see just how moist it is down there (where the eggs are laid) and what the temp is. I would also want to get a good ground surface temperature reading (and see how low the ground temp drops at night). I would want to get up at dawn to feel the dew settle, or the fog, or whatever happens there. I would want to take humidity readings throughout the day. And on and on and on.

It would be so nice to go there for a week at a time, several times a year, during different "seasons". I think I would have a better idea of the subtleties involved in keeping chams. They say breeding/keeping chameleons is an art, not a science. But that's probably because we are trying to apply what we read in books, or online, to simulate a tiny controlled portion of a huge, living, organic, environment. To some people it just comes naturally. But there are so many things I'd like to confirm, and to get in my head, real experiences in their native environment that I can draw on.

But...I ramble. Ciao.
 
Good question. I know when I went to the reptile show last October I had to ask Pam, of Pam's Chams, how to pronounce all these words I'd been using and typing for months. I felt like such a dufus. But then, in talking to importers and breeders on the phone, I discovered that they DO pronounce them all in their own way. If I ever make it to Madagascar, that is one of the things I would want to confirm.

Another thing I would want to do there is dig about 10 inches into the soil to see just how moist it is down there (where the eggs are laid) and what the temp is. I would also want to get a good ground surface temperature reading (and see how low the ground temp drops at night). I would want to get up at dawn to feel the dew settle, or the fog, or whatever happens there. I would want to take humidity readings throughout the day. And on and on and on.

It would be so nice to go there for a week at a time, several times a year, during different "seasons". I think I would have a better idea of the subtleties involved in keeping chams. They say breeding/keeping chameleons is an art, not a science. But that's probably because we are trying to apply what we read in books, or online, to simulate a tiny controlled portion of a huge, living, organic, environment. To some people it just comes naturally. But there are so many things I'd like to confirm, and to get in my head, real experiences in their native environment that I can draw on.

But...I ramble. Ciao.

So when is the first expedition!!! I would love to camp out with my camera gear and attempt to gt some quality images of Wild Chams doing there thing... That would be so awesome... You just inspired me... I am going to have dreams about madagascar now. Your right we could spend years gathering info and doing research on their natural habitat.
 
Yea, ever since i got into this hobby i have dreamed of going. Have you guys ordered the chameleons of Madagascar DVD yet? That would be a great place to start for getting stoked on a trip!

Let me know if you plan one, haha id be right there with ya!
 
I don't know about you guys but I really rarely get the chance to talk chams with anyone outside of the forum. This may seem like a total newb thing... But I thought that it would be iteresting to see how everyone else pronounces those Crazy scientific names that make up our hobby. I found that you will hear variations even among experienced herpers. If you can think of any good ones that maybe you have been wondering about put them here and spell them out how you say them phonetically and next time your talking chams with someone you don't have to worry about sounding like an idiot.

The only Real one that I have heard variations on that stands out is "Ambilobe"...
I have heard it pronounced like "Am-be-low-bee" or "Am-be-lowb"

Or what would be really cool is if someone has a link to a site thats lists the species and subspecies along with a pronunciation.


I say Am-bi-lobe

hehe
 
Right. Folks from this forum do take trips to chameleon locales. There is one currently advertised on FLChams website that sounds wonderful! I could get away for it, but my husband could not, and I wouldn't want to go without him. Also, you have to have some big bucks. Maybe in 5 years, for our 25th wedding anniversary!
 
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