Who gets to decide what the correct pronunciation is?
We do. Well, actually we ALL do. Language constantly evolves. Even the ‘original’ Gaelic, Scots, and Welsh pronunciations were quite a bit different, due to a multiplicity of dialects. We’ll try to be as true to the “most common pronunciation among educated people” as possible, adding more traditional, or ‘scholarly’ pronunciations where we feel they’re called-for. Yes, we’ve gone with “BELL-tane” rather than the more traditional Gaelic “be-YAWL-ten-uh”, as the former is in common usage, and the latter, although more “historically accurate” is disappearing. Likewise with our choice of MAY-bon rather than the most-likely Welsh pronunciation of “Ma-bon”. The naming of the Autumnal Equinox as “Mabon” has no claim on antiquity; it seems to have first appeared in the 1970’s, in the United States. Its pretty-much rejected outright by British Pagans. If you think we’ve really ‘missed the mark’ on a pronunciation, let us know– and provide whatever etymological information that you can. Incred
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- Who gets to decide what the correct pronunciation is?
