How to pronounce (insert word here)? - the master list [merged]

[Dave Turner]

I'm pretty sure Mr. Baker said it was along the lines of EH-bur-ron. I personally pronounce it as eh-BEHR-ron.

I say it like Keith apparently says it.

 

[nute]

Pronunciation's always been easy for me.

Drow - Ow! How now, brown drow? Rhymes with "prow", not "grow".

Paladin - I can't believe people used to have problems with this. PAL-a-din. Like "Saladin", the historic king. Not "pa-LAH-din", for crying out loud. Shield bash yourself if you pronounce it that way.

Gnome - "Nome", like Alaska. Not "Guh-nome" or "Gee-nome". There is no "Human-Gnome Project".

Svirfneblin - Exactly like it's spelled. "Svirf" rhymes with "smurf", and "neblin" rhymes with "pebblin'". When in doubt, just use "deep gnomes".

Duergar - Rhymes with "hair bar".

Dweomer - Rhymes with "gleamer". Comes from "gedwimer" in the Old English, and with the penchant for pronouncing "i" as "ee" in Old English, the pronunciation follows.

Balor- Rhymes with "sailor", not "pallor". Bay-Lore.

That's most of the problem ones I run across.

 

[kdanger]

Just to confuse matters...

My friend went to a book signing for R.A. Salvatore and asked the author of everyone's favorite dark elf how drow is pronounced, and was told it rhymes with know, low, and row.

But of course, their introduction came in G3: Halls of the Fire Giant King (and they were mentioned in the original monster manual).

Like I said...just to confuse matters.

I doubt it really matters personally.

 

[JimAde]

Pronunciation's always been easy for me.

Drow - Ow! How now, brown drow? Rhymes with "prow", not "grow".

Paladin - I can't believe people used to have problems with this. PAL-a-din. Like "Saladin", the historic king. Not "pa-LAH-din", for crying out loud. Shield bash yourself if you pronounce it that way.

Gnome - "Nome", like Alaska. Not "Guh-nome" or "Gee-nome". There is no "Human-Gnome Project".

Svirfneblin - Exactly like it's spelled. "Svirf" rhymes with "smurf", and "neblin" rhymes with "pebblin'". When in doubt, just use "deep gnomes".

Duergar - Rhymes with "hair bar".

Dweomer - Rhymes with "gleamer". Comes from "gedwimer" in the Old English, and with the penchant for pronouncing "i" as "ee" in Old English, the pronunciation follows.

Balor- Rhymes with "sailor", not "pallor". Bay-Lore.

That's most of the problem ones I run across.

What is the source for these? Dweomer and some of the others are, presumably, real if obscure words. As such they can be looked up (though they might be hard to find). But Balor? Isn't that just something that was made up to avoid getting sued by Tolkien's estate? As such, it might be pronounced "Napolean Bonaparte" for all I know (though I've always pronounced it "Bah'-lore").

EDIT: Just found a reference to Balor in Irish mythology, but no pronunciation guidelines.

 

[Sejs]

I've always had problems with the psionic Gith-whatchamacallits. Help?

Gith (rhymes with "with") yan (sounds like "yawn") ki (sounds like "key")
(GITH)(yawn)(Key)

and their counterparts:

Gith (rhymes with "with") zer (vere is eet? Eet's over zere!) ai (sounds like "eye")
(GITH)(zere)(Eye)


... or you can just lump 'em all together and call them "Gith" and not worry about it.

 

[Laslo Tremaine]

I pronounce it EH-ber-ron...

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

... or you can just lump 'em all together and call them "Gith" and not worry about it.

Wasn't that a Planescape joke? Or an illustration of a weakness (ie racism)?

"Githzerai, Githyanki, they're all the same"

AR

 

[Aaron2]

Its e-baron as in e-mail. They need to post a wave file of Keith saying it.


Aaron

 

[Sejs]

Could be, it's been a long time since I picked up a Planescape book. Anyway, I'm not so sure it's racism - they're both, in essence, the same race. They were the same people until they had a big civil disagreement, and some moved to the astral plane and some moved to limbo. It's sort of like how you've got high elves, and you've got wood elves - but they're both still elves.

 

[Gotterdammerung]

one that's stumped me for years...

How about "Catoblepas"

never could figure that one out. No pronunciation I can think of feels very natural.



-eric