How do you pronunce "grognard"?

[Hex08]

I have never said it out loud so if you imagine pure silence then that's how I pronounce it.

 

[Tonguez]

Do you or anyone else on the thread know when we started using it? I am honestly a little surprised I never thought about this before, but I feel like this has to be the result of old wargamers -- or rather, young wargamers from a long time ago -- complaining about even older wargamers.

1986 start, incidentally, so I'm kind of a... grognennial?

It was used in 1970s Wargaming circles, after the expansion of wargaming and entry of the likes of Milton Bradley and Steve Jackson. The old traditionalist grumbling about the new players and their ideas - some of those ideas developed into RPGs.
Its kinda ironic justice that thos old school gamers now attract the label

 

[niklinna]

Do you or anyone else on the thread know when we started using it? I am honestly a little surprised I never thought about this before, but I feel like this has to be the result of old wargamers -- or rather, young wargamers from a long time ago -- complaining about even older wargamers.

1986 start, incidentally, so I'm kind of a... grognennial?

This guy seems to have some ideas – Grognard: Ruminations On 40 Years in Gaming – Goodreads

By Loren Wiseman - Wikipedia

 

[J.Quondam]

Do you or anyone else on the thread know when we started using it? I am honestly a little surprised I never thought about this before, but I feel like this has to be the result of old wargamers -- or rather, young wargamers from a long time ago -- complaining about even older wargamers.

1986 start, incidentally, so I'm kind of a... grognennial?

Here's Google's NGram Viewer data (high smoothing) for the word over roughly the last century:

source:

Google Books Ngram Viewer

Google Books Ngram Viewer

books.google.com

It's just data for books only (no magazines, spoken word, etc, iirc). But the word was on a decline for most of the 20th century, then started trending upward again around 1980.
It's really uncommon English word (and also a name), but I wonder if that reverse is due to its use in wargaming and (later) in RPGing? The times seem to match up pretty well.

 

[DMZ2112]

This guy seems to have some ideas – Grognard: Ruminations On 40 Years in Gaming – Goodreads

By Loren Wiseman - Wikipedia

I like that this excerpt makes it clear that the term was self-applied and not a slur. It is better that way.

 

[Yaarel]

From the OED:
Pronunciation: Brit. Hear pronunciation/ɡrɒnˈjɑː/, Hear pronunciation/ˈɡrɒɡnɑːd/, U.S. Hear pronunciation/ɡroʊnˈjɑr/, Hear pronunciation/ˈɡroʊɡˌnɑrd/, Hear pronunciation/ˈɡrɑɡˌnɑrd/

I've always pronounced it /ˈɡrɑɡˌnɑrd/

Yeah exactly.



By the way, @niklinna

The second option has an error

"grog-NARD" ≠ /'ɡrɑɡnɑrd/



It would either be:

"grog-NARD" = /ɡrɑɡ'nɑrd/


Or:

"GROG-nard" = /ˈɡrɑɡnɑrd/

Or better yet, as MNblockhead has it:

"GROG-nard" = /ˈɡrɑɡˌnɑrd/

 

[billd91]

It's spell grognard, but it's pronounced Raymond Luxury Yacht.

 

[Stattick]

Dunno what the correct pronunciation is supposed to be, but I've always thought that it was pronounced, "grog" like the pirate drink, and "nard" like a teste.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

Dunno what the correct pronunciation is supposed to be, but I've always thought that it was pronounced, "grog" like the pirate drink, and "nard" like a teste.

If someone offers you some nardgrog, decline.

 

[Stattick]

If someone offers you some nardgrog, decline.

♫ Do you like pina coladas?