Originally posted by: Karyudo
Actually, I would submit it's those people who pronounce C-I-N-E "sinny" who are neglecting the root of the word: it's from French (innit? they invented movies...), and I'll bet you any Frenchman worth his baguette would cold-pronounce C-I-N-E as "seen".
Ah, the French would love to think so. It's actually rooted from Greek before that.
Of course, the "Graph" part is also rooted in the Greek "graphikos" which means "to write."
So Cinema is short for Cinematograph, which is based on the Greek for "To write (record) movement."
But I can't take credit for knowing Greek of the top of my head. No, I wouldn't have thought to look this up if I hadn't, only half an hour ago, read this passage while reading up on Enik from "The Land of the Lost:"
Walter Koenig, the scriptwriter of "The Stranger", originally named this character "Eneg", in honor of Gene Roddenberry. As noted in an audio commentary on the DVD, the spelling was changed to Enik (reverse of the Greek root word for "cinema") by David Gerrold, before the episode "The Stranger" was filmed.
Actually, I would submit it's those people who pronounce C-I-N-E "sinny" who are neglecting the root of the word: it's from French (innit? they invented movies...), and I'll bet you any Frenchman worth his baguette would cold-pronounce C-I-N-E as "seen".
Ah, the French would love to think so. It's actually rooted from Greek before that.
From the Online Etymology Dictionary
1899, "a movie hall," from Fr. cinéma, shortened from cinématographe, coined 1890s by Lumiere brothers, who invented it, from Gk. kinema "movement," from kinein "to move"
1899, "a movie hall," from Fr. cinéma, shortened from cinématographe, coined 1890s by Lumiere brothers, who invented it, from Gk. kinema "movement," from kinein "to move"
Of course, the "Graph" part is also rooted in the Greek "graphikos" which means "to write."
So Cinema is short for Cinematograph, which is based on the Greek for "To write (record) movement."
But I can't take credit for knowing Greek of the top of my head. No, I wouldn't have thought to look this up if I hadn't, only half an hour ago, read this passage while reading up on Enik from "The Land of the Lost:"
Walter Koenig, the scriptwriter of "The Stranger", originally named this character "Eneg", in honor of Gene Roddenberry. As noted in an audio commentary on the DVD, the spelling was changed to Enik (reverse of the Greek root word for "cinema") by David Gerrold, before the episode "The Stranger" was filmed.
Not to mention that Dracula takes Mina to the "Cinematograph" in a scene I just excised from that film only days ago.