Fantasy Names / pronounciation

[Hedin]

Malazan does this to me all the time, in fact I'm sure I pronounce most of the names wrong. Like how the hell am I meant to pronounce Kruppe or Tiste Andii?

I've always gone with Croup and Tea-stay Andy.

No, no. You're just wrong. 

Crup (is in "up") and Tist Andy.

Tist? That E ain't silent buddy.   Glad we agree on Andy at least.   

[JMack]

Malazan does this to me all the time, in fact I'm sure I pronounce most of the names wrong. Like how the hell am I meant to pronounce Kruppe or Tiste Andii?

I've always gone with Croup and Tea-stay Andy.

No, no. You're just wrong. 

Crup (is in "up") and Tist Andy.

Tist? That E ain't silent buddy.   Glad we agree on Andy at least.

Then Tist-e (short e), if you must hear it. 

[ArhiX]

Malazan does this to me all the time, in fact I'm sure I pronounce most of the names wrong. Like how the hell am I meant to pronounce Kruppe or Tiste Andii?

Try with K'Chain Che'Malle. Or any other name with (') in it. Keszein Szeemalle??? Erikson pls.
I'm actually pronouncing it with 'chain'. But still there are some other names...
I think it's a thing in every (more or less) epic fantasy.

If I can digress a bit. I think I mentioned it somewhere else, but in my language "Capustan" (still from Malazan) means something like 'Cabbage-town'. It's funny when you read something like "in a battle for Cabbagetown..." and it's actully meant to be tragic but you can't stop laughing. Who were they fighting with? Magically conjured demon-cabbages?

Spoiler for Hiden:

[ScarletBea]

Is Jorg pronounced Yorg? Because Jalan is hard J Jalan.

That's how I've always said it, just like the German name, but when I asked Mark he said it's supposed to be just plain 'George', and the only reason he didn't go with 'Jorge' with the 'e' at the end was to avoid the spanish way of saying that, because that was definitely not what he wanted.
He didn't mind my way much, though, said that many people said it like that too...

Jean from Gentleman Bastards is one that I found out I was mispronouncing, it took me a while, but I did eventually get it straight.

I say it like the French name - is it that, or like 'jean' (the trousers)?

[CameronJohnston]

I honestly don't care how things are supposed to be pronounced in a book, I'll interpret them in the best way for myself anyway. What does it really matter, beyond stirring lively debate on forums :p
I'm still clinging to the dragon 'Smaug' being pronounced 'Smog'.

[Francis Knight]

Francis, that is good to know and helpful to us in way you feel.  I would have thought writers felt otherwise, because their characters are so personal to them it would include the names.

Well I can only speak for myself! I know JRRT got all het up about people not pronouncing things right. And yet even though I know it should be Sour-on, I still pronounce it Sore-on. Having a dyslexic husband who sees words differently gives you a perspective (and makes discussing books an education )

[Yora]

That sound may be like the  "ch" in the Scottish word "loch" where the ch is almost swallowed, but usually mispronounced elsewhere as "lock."

No, it's much more weird. It's a sound that I've never heard in any other language. (Though wouldn't be surprised if it's in Dutch or Swedish.) And there's actually also a third way to pronounce it.

[madfox11]

This is something I always think about first: Does any name I create have an ambigous pronounciation? For a book it really doesn't amke much of a difference, but I try to always use spellings that can have only one possible pronounciation in English.

Huh? Considering English is one of the worse languages I know in regards to spelling and pronunciation, I find it a bit hard to see how you would do this unless you stick to modern names. In fact, even in case of modern names there are multiple ways to pronounce it. Mind you, names are always horrible because they often come from different languages or stick to old spelling (especially surnames).

As for the 'ch', in Dutch it is always pronounced the same way, like the ch in loch although a bit harsher. It is one of those spelling rules in Dutch that make it hard on people trying to learn the language since usually we use the 'g' for the same sound

[Francis Knight]

Serendipity -- the ten most mispronounced names in literature

[Henry Dale]

This is something I always think about first: Does any name I create have an ambigous pronounciation? For a book it really doesn't amke much of a difference, but I try to always use spellings that can have only one possible pronounciation in English.

Huh? Considering English is one of the worse languages I know in regards to spelling and pronunciation, I find it a bit hard to see how you would do this unless you stick to modern names. In fact, even in case of modern names there are multiple ways to pronounce it. Mind you, names are always horrible because they often come from different languages or stick to old spelling (especially surnames).

As for the 'ch', in Dutch it is always pronounced the same way, like the ch in loch although a bit harsher. It is one of those spelling rules in Dutch that make it hard on people trying to learn the language since usually we use the 'g' for the same sound

Ch isn't always the same in Dutch.
Consider the difference of ch in 'Chinees' or 'champagne' and the ch in 'goochelaar' or 'achting'
The first two give a 'sh' sound. The other two a soft g.

[Mr.J]

Jean from Gentleman Bastards is one that I found out I was mispronouncing, it took me a while, but I did eventually get it straight.

I say it like the French name - is it that, or like 'jean' (the trousers)?

Scott Lynch says it is 'Jean' as in the French, whereas I've always pronounced it 'gene'. I can't shake it now, even though that way it sounds like Locke goes around with an eleven year old fat kid with an electronic keyboard.

[madfox11]

Ch isn't always the same in Dutch.
Consider the difference of ch in 'Chinees' or 'champagne' and the ch in 'goochelaar' or 'achting'
The first two give a 'sh' sound. The other two a soft g.

Had forgotten the Ch from 'champagne' (although I wonder how much those words have to do with the fact that they are place names from non-Dutch areas), as for the soft g that depends on where you live in the Netherlands

[Henry Dale]

Ch isn't always the same in Dutch.
Consider the difference of ch in 'Chinees' or 'champagne' and the ch in 'goochelaar' or 'achting'
The first two give a 'sh' sound. The other two a soft g.

Had forgotten the Ch from 'champagne' (although I wonder how much those words have to do with the fact that they are place names from non-Dutch areas), as for the soft g that depends on where you live in the Netherlands

Chagrijn starts with a ch and isn't a place name, for example.

[Lady Ty]

That sound may be like the  "ch" in the Scottish word "loch" where the ch is almost swallowed, but usually mispronounced elsewhere as "lock."

No, it's much more weird. It's a sound that I've never heard in any other language. (Though wouldn't be surprised if it's in Dutch or Swedish.) And there's actually also a third way to pronounce it.

It was indeed. Sitting listening and trying to do the laugh hech hech bit and making very strange sounds. Thanks Yora.

[Jonny_Anonymous]

Malazan does this to me all the time, in fact I'm sure I pronounce most of the names wrong. Like how the hell am I meant to pronounce Kruppe or Tiste Andii?

I've always gone with Croup and Tea-stay Andy.

I've been saying Krup, Tsst Anne-Dey and Ka-Chain Che-Mail.

None of these are even remotely accurate I know.



No, no. You're just wrong. 

Crup (is in "up") and Tist Andy.

Tist? That E ain't silent buddy.   Glad we agree on Andy at least.

Then Tist-e (short e), if you must hear it.