Saying Julius Caesar

Sometimes Reddit surprises me with its supreme quality of discussion. Unfortunately this is not the predominant case, but the fact that there are such interesting and constructive discussions makes Reddit worth the occasional visit for me. The latest example I have is from earlier this morning when I came across an old discussion on the correct pronunciation of Julius Caesar’s name — the Caesar part. To me it has always been “Kai-ser”, rhyming with hi, sir. And Julius is, of course “Yoo-lee-us”. But /u/thatfool gives an educated breakdown of the pronunciation of every single letter in the surname along with commentary on how things changed with time and across society (particularly classical and Vulgar Latin). This is definitely something to brush through, if for nothing more than to appreciate language and culture.