Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!amdahl!pacbell!att!ihlpf!bamford
From: bamford@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Harold E. Bamford)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: TeX pronounciation
Keywords: How, why?
Message-ID: <6048@ihlpf.ATT.COM>
Date: 8 Sep 88 16:16:16 GMT
References: <374@polyof.UUCP>
Reply-To: bamford@ihlpf.UUCP (Harold E. Bamford)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 14

In article <374@polyof.UUCP> paul@polyof.UUCP (A1 Mr. Curran) writes:
>
>	How does one pronounce the term "TeX."  There seem to be two
>factions, one that says it's like TEK and another that says it's TEX
>as in TEXas or TEXt.  If it's TEK howcome it's pronounced that way; I
>can't think of any english words that sound X that way.  Also it would
>seem more reasonable to say LATEX than LATEK.  Just curious.

According to Knuth's book on TeX, the word is pronounced with a "K"
sound on the end except that it is accompanied with a lot of
exhalation.  In fact, he says that saying the word will cause your 
terminal to become slightly moist!  As to why:  the letters are really
Greek letters, not Roman...

OK, I've got my asbestos suit on -- turn on the SILLY FLAMERS!!!