How Do You Pronounce Bichir?

[lyotim88]

as per the title..how do you guys pronounce bichir? is it bee-sheer?

 

[fifefish]

"bee-sher" i think it is.. not 100% certain

 

[loraxchick]

i dont know the "official" way, but i say "Bye -Chur" ???

 

[dcarmor927]

idk for sure, i've always heard it like "biker"

 

[Amunet]

I know this probably isn't right... but in my mind.. I always pronounce it like
Bee-sure

 

[nmonks]

The short answer is that nobody knows precisely, at least, not in English. The word "bichir" is a French-language transliteration of a local Arabic word used to name these fish. So it is probably quite a soft sounding word, more like "buh sheer", than anything harsher such as "biker" or "birch er". Yet it is in the tradition of English-speakers to mangle the pronunciation of non-English words beyond all recognition.

Me, I call them all by the genus name, Polypterus. No arguments over how that word is pronounced!

Cheers, Neale

 

[jennybugs]

Well that's corrected my pronunciation! I call them ***** Ears

 

[lyotim88]

Well that's corrected my pronunciation! I call them ***** Ears

 

[STD]

see http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html

 

[nmonks]

Not a bad summary, though it should state that the most common *American English* pronunciations are the ones listed. Here in the UK, you tend to hear "bircher" and "biker" more commonly, in my experience.

Cheers, Neale

see [URL="http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html"]http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html[/URL]

 

[Underwurlde]

'American English' - pah. My opinion of you mr. Monks has just nose-dived!

 

[Amunet]

Well that's corrected my pronunciation! I call them ***** Ears

ROFL

 

[jen87]

Not a bad summary, though it should state that the most common *American English* pronunciations are the ones listed. Here in the UK, you tend to hear "bircher" and "biker" more commonly, in my experience.

Cheers, Neale

see <a href="http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html" target="_blank">http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html</a>

I'm American and I like *****-ears.

 

[love4aquatic]

Not a bad summary, though it should state that the most common *American English* pronunciations are the ones listed. Here in the UK, you tend to hear "bircher" and "biker" more commonly, in my experience.

Cheers, Neale

see <a href="http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html" target="_blank">http/www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ask/bichir.html</a>

I'm American and I like *****-ears.

bee-shears, or *****-ears

my lfs calls them bee-cheers