this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2025
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Depending on the time. In ancient Greek it was /k^h^/ (aspirated k, basically the normal k in English) which turned to /x/ as you said but neither is wRoNG, especially when your native language doesn't have one if the sounds
The k-sound is used when the chi is prefixed in front of certain vowels. The ch-sound is the truly correct pronunciation here, there's no history involved for that.
Knuth, the guy who coined it, also says the ch-sound is the correct one, though he also says the k-sound is also acceptable. As long as you do not use the ks-sound at least :)
Knuth is the perfect nerd, publishing a package where people are still discussing how to pronounce its name close to 50 years after.
Are you saying that the historical pronunciation is irrelevant or are you denying language change?
The historical pronunciation of this letter is irrelevant because it's a modern word with a modern pronunciation.
I had no idea that a software typesetting system was that old. Is that what Homer used to typeset the Odyssey?
Yes