Fantasy Names / pronounciation

[ScarletBea]

What about "sword"? Is the w pronounced or not?

Not.
'sord' basically

And why is it "neumatic" but not "sycology"?

It is - don't say the p in either word

[ClintACK]

The worst are the books where every character has to have an apostrophe in their name. it just looks silly to me

Except for the Pern books.  There was an actual mechanic to that, where dragon riders were set apart by losing the first vowel in their name.

Otherwise, yeah.  Trying too hard to make the names exotic.

And why is it "neumatic" but not "sycology"?

It is - don't say the p in either word

Technically, it's "sychology".   

[Jonny_Anonymous]

Oh god how did I forget the Elric Saga? One of my all time favorite series\worlds and it throws out beauties like:

Melniboné

R'lin K'ren A'a

Yyrkoon

Imrryr

D'a'rputna

 

[ClintACK]

Oh god how did I forget the Elric Saga? One of my all time favorite series\worlds and it throws out beauties like:

Melniboné

MELL-ni-bone

R'lin K'ren A'a

ARE-lin KREN Ah

Yyrkoon

Ear-COON

Imrryr

IHM-rear

D'a'rputna

Dar-POOT-na

Did I get any "right"?

[Mr.J]

Blimey, what are those names.

Would have thought it would be something else rather than just 'bone' because there's an accent over the e at the end.

If it was up to me I'd write a fantasy where everyone's called Bob.

[Jonny_Anonymous]

Yeah that's all pretty much how I say them except I know the official pronunciation of Melniboné is Mel-nib-on-ay (as in cafe)

[madfox11]

Maybe all those fantasy names with ' in them have a clicking sound in their language as some of the languages in southern Africa have?

[Jonny_Anonymous]

Oh god, I think I would end up with cramp trying to pronounce things in Elric of Melnibone if that was the case.

[ScarletBea]

Yeah that's all pretty much how I say them except I know the official pronunciation of Melniboné is Mel-nib-on-ay (as in cafe)

But café isn't pronounced ca-fay it's cafeh, an open E (eh!)
So I'd say Bo-neh

[Raptori]

Yeah that's all pretty much how I say them except I know the official pronunciation of Melniboné is Mel-nib-on-ay (as in cafe)

But café isn't pronounced ca-fay it's cafeh, an open E (eh!)
So I'd say Bo-neh

Where in the world do people pronounce é as eh? 

[ScarletBea]

Latin countries?

Where do you think the accent comes from?

[Raptori]

Latin countries?

Where do you think the accent comes from?

France, and I've seen it used in eastern european languages too. Café as "ca-fay" being the perfect example! I've never learned any spanish/portuguese at all. 

[ScarletBea]

I think you were the one who showed me this site:
http://forvo.com/word/caf%C3%A9/#pt
 

[Raptori]

I think you were the one who showed me this site:
http://forvo.com/word/caf%C3%A9/#pt
 

Weird! 

[Francis Knight]

Cafe?*


Round 'ere we call it "caff"

Cos we're common

*I can't get the accent to work on this keyboard...