I say "cop" - funny you brought up the use of our English language - I just shot an email around to friends regarding the use of plural Snowy Owls as Snowys or Snowies as I've seen it both ways, and in my mind I thought it should be Snowys since it's a proper name - one friend sent this response: "According to the Gregg Reference Manual, the plurals of proper name are formed by adding an s (or es) so it would be Snowys" - it was just one of those fun emails to send around :) I'll be curious to see how Scaup comes out - next survey I'd like to see is Pileated - both are accepted in the dictionaries, often with the "i" as in pie preferred over the "i" as in pill - I've always liked Pie-leated, but on occasion I use Pill-eated - :) Gayle Davis Owen, Taylor Cty On 2/8/2012 6:49 PM, B.G. Sloan wrote: > In talking with a few other birders this week along Milwaukee's lakefront > I've started to think that maybe I am mispronouncing the word "Scaup". I > pronounce the "cau" like the word "cow", so it sounds like "Scowp". The other > birders pronounced the "caup" like "cop", so it sounds like "Scop". > > Maybe it's just my latent southern accent compared to a Great Lakes accent. > :-) Just curious... > > Bernie Sloan > Milwaukee > #################### > You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding > Network (Wisbirdn). > To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: > //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn > To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: > //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn > Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn > > > #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn