Most mispronounced monster names

[Ry]

How many of you pronounce Chitin as it's spelled? Can't break myself of that one.

 

[IcyCool]

How many of you pronounce Chitin as it's spelled? Can't break myself of that one.

Huh, now there's one I didn't know I'd been mispronouncing. I always heard it and pronounced it as Chit-in. Apparently it's Kai-tin.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Apparently it's Kai-tin.

Darn those Greeks!

 

[Len]

No. That would be the MOST mispelled class name in 3e/3.5.

Oh, sorry, I was thinking about the reddest class name.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Bleh, maybe. Unfortunately the way they chose to spell the word is atrocious. And the class Blackguard's relation to the english word pronounced blaggard isn't exactly perfect..

Its the pronounciation that has changed over time as people just adopted the fast/shortened version. Like boatswain; pronounced "BO sun". Like Forecastle; pronounced "FOKE sull". Gotta love English!

Why did they pick "blackguard" for the name? It fits into a running gimmick of great number of RPG names for things that tell you next to nothing except to piggy-back on a term's existing idea. Like "Oathsworn", "Defiant", "Primeval", "Atavist", "Skypledged", "Stoneblessed", "Chameleon". Blackguard fits right in when you know what it is.

Besides, when I was at Gencon 2000 when 3e was introduced, the correct pronounciation "blaggerd" is exactly how Monte Cook pronounced it at the 3e seminars.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

Dunno about that, but, as i've always heard it explained, the reason those particular nasty fae got named after the mineral (or, rather, the mineral was named after them, once they realized it was a distinct element), was that the kobolts were blamed for the injuries/sickness that the toxin later known as cobalt caused to the workers.

And I don't know about that - one way or the other - I'm just ignorant about any shared etymology. I do know that my mother calls the little clay garden gnomes Kobolds, and I know that if I visit the translator at http://dictionary.reference.com/translate/text.html and pull down "English to German" and type in goblin, it will spit the German word "Kobold" back at me.

They're just mischievious little spirits, perhaps unseelie fey, or EN World members (except shorter).

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Yes, if somebody in the US was being taught German they'd be taught all the markings that went with the language (if those two dots aren't called umlauts, I don't know what they are, I've always heard them called that.) Yes, Spanish is the most predominant second language to be taught in the US by far (although French and German are also taught in many schools, and Japanese is slowly catching on).

The dots itself aren´t "Umlauts", it´s the dot + vocal that makes it one. (And "Umlaut" is the German name for it. I guess the English language adopted the name, never needing the term for itself...)

 

[Brakkart]

Can still remember the silence in our local games shop after a guy new to town came in and asked if we had Van Richten's Guide to the Lick in stock. EVERYONE looked at him with a "You what??" expression and it was a busy day.

 

[The Edge]

Im surprised no ones mentioned spectre. Oh, that word has given me so much grief. If I remember correctly (and that dictionary was correct) america shold say it spec-ter, and england and france should say it spec-tree. But all I ever hear people say here (England) is spec-ter.

Another one is wyvern, im sure its Y-vern and not wiven, what about you lot?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Huh, now there's one I didn't know I'd been mispronouncing. I always heard it and pronounced it as Chit-in. Apparently it's Kai-tin.

Damn, I didn't know that, either.

And to think that I once mocked a friend of mine when he said "shrome" instead of krome. The funny part was that his name is Christian. So of course, I called him Shristian for a time

And I don't know about that - one way or the other - I'm just ignorant about any shared etymology. I do know that my mother calls the little clay garden gnomes Kobolds, and I know that if I visit the translator at http://dictionary.reference.com/translate/text.html and pull down "English to German" and type in goblin, it will spit the German word "Kobold" back at me.

Yes, the German for Goblin is Kobold (but I think in German D&D, they're still Goblins, and Goblins are the Bilbo's foes in the German version of The Hobbit). And those little freaks that are standing around on the lawn are called Gartenzwerge (garden dwarves).

The dots itself aren´t "Umlauts", it´s the dot + vocal that makes it one. (And "Umlaut" is the German name for it. I guess the English language adopted the name, never needing the term for itself...)

Umlaut came in a set with Gesundheit and Kindergarten

Im surprised no ones mentioned spectre. Oh, that word has given me so much grief. If I remember correctly (and that dictionary was correct) america shold say it spec-ter, and england and france should say it spec-tree. But all I ever hear people say here (England) is spec-ter.

Not that I know of. There is the usual specter/spectre thing going on, though.

And about the dragon that is not a dragon: I always said wivern (with i like in milk), but webster says "why, verne"? (I think they mean that submarine). Every day brings new insights.