How do you pronounce "Drow"?

[Thomas Bowman]

My immediate circle of players had always pronounced "Drow" as rhyming with "go". Then one day, I met a player who pronounced it as rhyming with "cow", which I thought was thoroughly wrong and hideous!

A year or so ago that Vin Deasil(sp?) person was on the Conan O'Brian Show and went off on some tangent regarding his "Specialist Mage Drow" (with "Drow" as in "cow") and I was horrified. I thought "Great. Now the whole gaming world will pronounce it incorrectly".

Anyway, how do you pronounce it?

Since Drow don't exist, there is no correct way of pronouncing it, as no Drow will ever correct you!

 

[Umbran]

The etymology of Drow is from the Scots word Trow...

The etymology of "drow" in our context is Gygax looking in a copy of Funk & Wagnall's.

Its old origin has little bearing in this case - it is pronounced as a middle-aged guy from Chicago would pronounce it - meaning both are acceptable.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The etymology of "drow" in our context is Gygax looking in a copy of Funk & Wagnall's.

Its old origin has little bearing in this case - it is pronounced as a middle-aged guy from Chicago would pronounce it - meaning both are acceptable.

In which case, it should probably be pronounced, “Da Drow!”




...which then implies “Da Owlbears!”, “Da Bullettes!” and so much more.

 

[Morrus]

How do you pronounce "Drow"?

The etymology of Drow is from the Scots word Trow which is also the root for Troll. So, Drow should have a long o as does Trow and Troll.
It really doesn’t matter which way people vote, the etymology is correct and everyone else is simply mispronouncing it.

You know this thread is 14 years old? Odd one to seek out! But anyway. It’s a made-up D&D race of black-skinned magical elves who live in the Underdark. Etymology has nothing to do with it.

 

[TwoSix]

The etymology of Drow is from the Scots word Trow which is also the root for Troll. So, Drow should have a long o as does Trow and Troll.
It really doesn’t matter which way people vote, the etymology is correct and everyone else is simply mispronouncing it.

1) Wow, this is a super deep necro. 13.5 years?

2) Linguistic prescriptivism never fails to amuse me.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The etymology of Drow is from the Scots word Trow which is also the root for Troll. So, Drow should have a long o as does Trow and Troll.
It really doesn’t matter which way people vote, the etymology is correct and everyone else is simply mispronouncing it.

See official answer:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=219714&postcount=48

still the answer

 

[delericho]

These days Salvatore has had more influence on them than anyone. So surely it's dr'ow?

 

[Emerikol]

My groups always called it drow as in now. It invoked plenty of fear because that is the name they'd always known it by. I never heard it called droe until I was at a convention.

I agree with Hand of Evil that the official name is probably drow as in cow.

Since you are DM of your campaign though, I believe Gygax solves the problem for you. Use rule 0 to have them go by Droe in your campaign. Done!

I think my preference is purely traditional. I called them drow for years so that seems familiar to me.

 

[Shasarak]

I always pronounced Drow as in Bow.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I always pronounced Drow as in Bow.

Clever!