The planet Uranus has some of the most fascinating physiology of the nine planets, with features such as its distinctive rings and bizarre and improbable gaseous constitution. The problem that teachers and parents of children may run into when discussing these qualities, however, is that its name has run a disastrous course of sounding like one of two taboo and embarrassing bodily terms, sure to make all middle schoolers and their like giggle. But this may not be the case, if one is searching for an alternative in the phonetic features and origin of the word.
The third largest planet is currently pronounced one of two ways, likely bouncing back and forth between the less of two rather awkward alternatives. These vary by which syllable is stressed. After the Greek God of the sky, the current morphology of the name, with pronunciations URanus and UrANUS, unfortunately end up as a choice between the much less royal and majestic number one and number two.
This may not be so. The name, originally “Ouranus,” has come to be in this position because of the way English (particularly American English), pronounces words that begin with the letter “U.” An example of this is the state of Utah. The pronunciation “Yootah” originally, in the Native American tribe it is called after, has no such /Y/ sound at the beginning. It is pronounced simply “Ootah.” The subsequent /y/ sound is added only according to analogy of much more common American and English words such as “You” and “Yes,” as well as the nuclear element “Uranium,” which is also derived from the same name.
This means that a more correct, not to mention close to the original royal name of “Ouranus” is more properly and respectfully pronounced as something without a /y/ sound at the beginning. Its beginning would sound much like the the name Ur, the God of Chaldees, which is pronounced with the pure vowel sound at the beginning and not the semi-consonant /y/.
So if such a campaign of covering this royal celestial body in a more respectful fig leaf more consistent with its origins were undertaken, the seventh planet would appropriately be pronounced without a /y/ sound at the beginning. Thus whichever syllable is pronounced in discussing the planet, there would not be an indecent potty-sounding reference contained therein. Even though scientists in documentaries for years to come will likely feel forced to hurry by the verbal reference to the celestial giant, those who would like a different pronunciation are not so likely to get smirk out of student audiences and can rely on the fact that a third, though lesser-known, alternative exists.
