Words are hard!

[Oryan77]

You can hear a Frenchman saying it on the wikipedia page here (in that example, you can't even hear the "de").

It sounds like he is putting the coup and the de together as a single word. Like, "cood" with some rolling of the tongue. Interesting. I've never heard it spoken by a french man. It sounds nothing like the way anyone is saying it in English. It sounds like he is saying "kood-krahs".

I have to admit, I didn't even know the proper pronunciation of Chimera. The funny thing is, my 2 y/o son was playing with my Chimera mini last night and he says "dis one?" when he wants to know what something is called. I guess I gave him the wrong pronunciation haha.

 

[Morrus]

It sounds like he is putting the coup and the de together as a single word. Like, "cood" with some rolling of the tongue. Interesting. I've never heard it spoken by a french man. It sounds nothing like the way anyone is saying it in English. It sounds like he is saying "kood-krahs".

He's talking very fast (as the French do when speaking French) and obviously without an English or American accent. The "de" is technically in there, but kinda casually brushed over at speed. If you asked him to slowly enunciate the words, you'd hear it.

 

[Thotas]

... Welch, and the various Germanic languages, either. Welch is particular rough. My wife and I gave our daughter the middle name Llewellyn, and we still have to stop at times and concentrate to say it correctly. ("Lou Ellen" is close, but misses the mark.)
.

It's "Welsh" And isn't that a boy's name?

 

[EricNoah]

(Hint: It's actually pronounced "coo de grass".)

Guilty. I'm sure I'm conflating it with "coup d'etat" somehow.

 

[Rogue Agent]

Some people insist on pronouncing the planar city of Sigil as "sijil"...

The planar city Sigil isn't pronounced like the word "sigil"?

Except that in the Planescape setting it explicitly states that the name of the city is pronounced "sig-ill." Mispronouncing it is one way the locals identify the noobs.

Holy . That's idiotic.

"We can excuse the fact that you slaughtered two Yugoloths before you realized where you were, Outsider. But you pronounced the name of our fair city 'Sijil,' not 'Sigil,' and there can be no excuse for that! - Her Honor Rastina Tollin of the Guvners (Sigil and Beyond page 4 of the Planescape Campaign Setting boxset)

That's even worse. Because "sigil", as written, is still pronounced exactly like "sijil".

 

[Thotas]

Are there still people out there who pronounce "Celtic" with a soft c to refer to anything other than a basketball team?

 

[steeldragons]

It's "Welsh"

THANK you! Gods that irked me. Saved me a posting...though I'm posting again anyways, apparently!

He's talking very fast (as the French do when speaking French) and obviously without an English or American accent. The "de" is technically in there, but kinda casually brushed over at speed. If you asked him to slowly enunciate the words, you'd hear it.

Don't they though?! My gods, when our french friends are speaking to each other, even being formerly fluent, I can barely pick out a word here or there. I suppose it's the same for them when we speak english at our "normal" speed.

Yes, it would be "coo [not "coop" unless the "p" is literally an imperceptible expunged final sound] deh or, maybe for the american readers, closer to "duh" [not "day", that's spanish] grahss. [not "grass"]."

The planar city Sigil isn't pronounced like the word "sigil"?

Holy . That's idiotic.

Isn't it though?! What the hell was the point of THAT?! It'll always still be Sigil at my table.

 

[Huw]

That's even worse. Because "sigil", as written, is still pronounced exactly like "sijil".

Never knew that (that Sigil should have a hard "g" that is)

Reminds me of another common pronunciation error that annoys me: people who pronounce Genghis with two hard "g"s. The first g is soft - his Mongol name normally gets transliterated as "Chinggiz". Maybe a hard g sounds, well, harder.

 

[Oryan77]

That's even worse. Because "sigil", as written, is still pronounced exactly like "sijil".

Supposedly, when the city Sigil was created for Planescape, it was intended to be pronounced as Sijil. But for whatever reason, it began being called "sigil" and that is how it was intended to be called once the setting was published. I don't know how true that is, but that's what some people claim.

I actually like that it is called Sigil instead of Sijil. It adds to the "WTF" weirdness of the city and is a reminder that you are not on the Prime Material world. Plus I think it's dumb when people try to relate the city to the word sigil (sijil) just because it is spelled the same. It's not known as the city of sigils; it's the city of doors. Otherwise, they should have just named it "Door".

 

[Morrus]

. [not "grass"]."

Depends how you say "grass". At least here in the UK the are a couple of distinctly different pronunciations.