Caesar

[Odessa Dawn]

Matthew 22

¹⁷ Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"


In my mother tongue, Arabic, the proper way to pronounce Caesar is/keɪsər/although the s sound doesn't exist in Arabic when it comes to the word Caesar. We have another sound but I failed to transcript it. Also, that pronunciation is mainstream among Arabs. However, in English it seems different. Is the below pronunciation for the word Caesar correct? I got help from the Free Dictionary.
Caesar - definition of Caesar by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
/seɪzər/

IPA Typewriter

Note: I think that the right/exact symbol in AmE for BrE /ər/ is approximate retroflex /ɚ/.

More: Approximant consonant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

P.S.: I am accustomed to pronouncing c as k unless it is followed by either e-century, i-cigarette, or y-cycle.

[5jj]

The normal BrE pronunciation/transcription is /ˈsiːzə(r)/. The /r/ in brackets tells us that this phoneme is normally pronounced only when foll0wed by a vowel.

[emsr2d2]

Though as any avid follower of QI will know, the letter C was not pronounced "s" in Latin (or in modern Italian). Caesar would originally have been pronounced "K-eye-zer" and is the basis for the word "kaiser".

[BobK]

Though as any avid follower of QI will know, the letter C was not pronounced "s" in Latin (or in modern Italian). Caesar would originally have been pronounced "K-eye-zer" and is the basis for the word "kaiser".

Hmm. My lip always curls when Steven Fry says that - which he does rather too frequently for my taste. Inscriptions at Pompeii (graffiti) show that - as is suggested by modern Italian - spoken latin, even in classical times, used [s] most of the time. The [k] pronunciation was used only in very formal use.

I am likewise an avid watcher of QI, but rather share the dubiety expressed by Ben Goldacre (who, perhaps unsurprisingly, hasn't been asked back - or perhaps has turned down invitations), who said words to the effect of 'The trouble [BK unquestioning acceptance of popular 'authority'] is TV shows like this.'

But this is some way from the OP - which has already been answered satisfactorily.

b