How do you pronounce...

thebigcheese · Post by **thebigcheese** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:56 am

How do you pronounce Cognoscente?

In my head, I always read it as "Cog-no-es-scent" or "Cog-nes-scent". But then I was looking at the spelling the other day, and I have no bloody idea how it's actually pronounced! And since we're on the subject, what does it mean anyway?

P.S. I love that everyone uses the nickname Coggers. I wish I could have a cool nickname like that.

Post by **Marduk** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:59 am

It is Spanish, and means "knowing." Pronounce it "Cog-no-cent-eh."

thebigcheese · Post by **thebigcheese** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 10:06 am

Ooh...I think I just felt my horizons being broadened. Very cool.

(I obviously don't speak Spanish.)

Post by **Marduk** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 11:25 am

You should. It is an awesome language.

Post by **C is for** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 12:02 pm

I always pronounce it in the Italian manner: Con-yo-sent-ay.

And think of it as a "connoisseur".

I know that Coggers himself has answered this somewhere, but I am too lazy to do more than a cursory search.

thebigcheese · Post by **thebigcheese** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 12:27 pm

C is for wrote:I know that Coggers himself has answered this somewhere, but I am too lazy to do more than a cursory search.

Hmm...perhaps I should have searched the archives. Whoops.

Cognoscente · Post by **Cognoscente** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:55 pm

It is the English singular form of the word cognoscenti. It has identical forms in Italian and Spanish because it is derived completely from Latin.

coÂ·gnoÂ·scenÂ·te (kÅn'yÉ™-shÄ›n'tÄ“, kÅg'nÉ™-)
n. pl. coÂ·gnoÂ·scenÂ·ti (-tÄ“)
A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste; a connoisseur.

[Obsolete Italian, from Latin cognÅscÄ“ns , cognÅscent- , present participle of cognÅscere , to know ; see cognition .]

cognoscente
1778, from It. cognoscente , Latinized from conoscente "connoisseur," lit. "knowing man," from L. cognoscentum , prp. of cognoscere "to know" (see cognizance).

I say "cog-no-SEN-tay" but I'm familiar with the word from Italian, where the "gn" is pronounced the same as a Spanish Ã±.

So, everyone who pronounces it "cognizant" is wrong.

Now you know! And knowing (being cognizant!) is half the battle!

Cognoscente · Post by **Cognoscente** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:59 pm

P.S. Claudio saddled me with that nickname and I've always hated it. "Coggers" doesn't sound like a scholar, it sounds like a mincing, punctilious grandfather clock.

thebigcheese · Post by **thebigcheese** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:27 pm

Cognoscente wrote:P.S. Claudio saddled me with that nickname and I've always hated it. "Coggers" doesn't sound like a scholar, it sounds like a mincing, punctilious grandfather clock.

Hmm...that's not quite what I would've pictured. If anything, it makes me think of bike parts. And bike parts make me happy

Meh. I still like it.

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 11:19 pm

Cognoscente wrote:P.S. Claudio saddled me with that nickname and I've always hated it. "Coggers" doesn't sound like a scholar, it sounds like a mincing, punctilious grandfather clock.

Eh eh eh. I think I've called you that more than my fair share of times.

But I've always said it COG-nuh-scent.

In my heart, however, you'll always be Coggers.