The JRR Tolkien Pronunciation Poll

[Snarf Zagyg]

The title of this thread says it all! I want to know how you AK-SHUALLY pronounce the last name of the esteemed writer of such works as A Middle English Vocabulary and Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwie.

That's right- how do you pronounce the last name, Tolkien, as in "Gygax swore, up and down, that he only ever read Swords and Sorcery and wasn't really influenced by Tolkien."

(Please note that I am not looking for the correct answer; just looking to see how people are saying it)

 

[Morrus]

It never occurred to me that anything other than #2 was even a possibility.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

It never occurred to me that anything other than #2 was even a possibility.

Weirdly, the pronunciation in almost every place I am familiar with is the wrong one.

In fact, the wrong pronunciation where I am is so wide-spread that continue to use the incorrect one simply because that's accepted pronunciation.

Which would be a whole 'nother interesting thread-

First, words (and names) that are commonly mispronounced, and from there, words that you know you are saying incorrectly, but continue to do so because the incorrect pronunciation is the accepted one.

 

[Morrus]

Weirdly, the pronunciation in almost every place I am familiar with is the wrong one.

In fact, the wrong pronunciation where I am is so wide-spread that continue to use the incorrect one simply because that's accepted pronunciation.

Which would be a whole 'nother interesting thread-

First, words (and names) that are commonly mispronounced, and from there, words that you know you are saying incorrectly, but continue to do so because the incorrect pronunciation is the accepted one.

Well you guys need to work on “Craig” and “Graham” before graduating to “Tolkien”!

(hint: it's not 'Cregg' and 'Gram')

 

[Marc_C]

Well I say it in French. 'Tol-ki-ain'

 

[Wolfram stout]

So, like most, I use #3 and it is wrong. Or maybe, because I am in the southern US, I am pronouncing it correctly but my accent just makes it wrong.

Timely thread for me, we just got in the Tolkien movie on Netflix disk to watch this weekend.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I always pronounced it Toll-kin until I saw a documentary from English scholars and it was pronounced Toll-Keen. I've been doing it the correct way since.

The real poll is how do you pronounce "Dr. Seuss"?
1. Soos
2. Zoice

Hint: It's #2, per he and his family directly.

 

[Umbran]

For the longest time, not having ever heard anyone pronounce it, I took it phonetically - Tol-key-en.

Later, having heard recordings of interviews with him, I expect the pronunciation the man preferred was Tol-keen.

Even knowing that, I am rather stuck with the original when I say it.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

This is a "keen" poll...

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Some time I say as per number 2 but mostly 3 and always 6