Pronunciations?

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I think there was a topic like this a while ago, but I figured since there are new people, and since we're all doing the read aloud thing, it might be fun to bring up again.

So, how do you pronounce certain words and names in the books? And maybe you could tell where you live as well, because accents might play into it. It think it would be interesting to see all the different ways that people pronounce things.

Eugenides: yoo-jen-EYE-dees
Magus: MAY-jus
Attolia: ah-TOLL-ee-ah
Eddis: EE-dis
Sounis: SOO-nis
Nahuseresh: na-HOO-ser-esh

And more that I can't think of, I'm sure.

Comments

[jadelennox]

I pronounce magus with a hard g like the English word magus, and Eugenides with a short i, and Eddis with a short e. Otherwise I roushly pronounce those as you do. Nauseresh I pronounce Na-hoo-SER-esh, to roughly correspond with the pronounciation of Ahasuerus, to which is seems to me to be similar.

[fizzko.livejournal.com]

I'm sorta new, never introduced myself, so...yes.

Eugenides: Yoo-JEN-eye-dehs

Same as you for Magus, Attolia, Eddis, Sounis, and Nahuseresh.

What about Ambiades? I've always said "Ahm-bee-AH-dehs".

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I'm new and keep meaning to introduce myself, but anyway...

I say:

You-JEN-id-ees (like eugenics, I confess)
MAY-gus
A-TOLE-yuh
Ed-diss (no real accent anywhere)
Nu-hu-SER-ish

But I'm with you on SOO-nis.

[planesonsnakes.livejournal.com]

Eugenides: You-jen-EYE-dz
Magus: MAY-guss
Attolia: ah-TOLL-ee-ah
Eddis: Eh-dis
Sounis: SEW-nis
Nahuseresh: na-HOO-ser-esh
Sophos: SEW-foes
Ambiades: ahm-bee-AH-des

Some of those are the same as you. I live in the Northeast US.

I'm also new, and never introduced myself because I find communities intimidating. So uh, hi.

[jadelennox]

I assume that the names that are spelled as if they are Greek should be pronounced as if they are Greek, even though the mapping of the world onto Greece isn't perfect. So those final "des" in Eugenides and Ambiades are "deez".

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I say:

Eugenides: you-GEN-id-ees
Magus: Ma-gus
Attolia: ah-TOLL-ee-ah
Eddis: ED-diss
Sounis: SOO-nis (but sometimes I find myself calling it SOO-niece)
Nahuseresh: na-HOO-ser-esh

[jadelennox]

Though take that "should" with a grain of salt. Ursula LeGuin says that "Ged" is pronounced with a soft "G", but I still won't pronounce it that way. *g*

[fizzko.livejournal.com]

I thought about that, but not until later when I'd already been saying "des" for a year or two. ;) Oh well.

[fizzko.livejournal.com]

Haha. :)

[xie-kitchin.livejournal.com]

Eugenides: you-GEN-ah-dēs, soft 'g'.
Magus: MĀ-gus, hard 'g'.
Attolia: ah-TOL-ee-ah
Eddis/Eeddis: EH-dis/EE-eh-dis
Sounis: SOO-nēs
Nahuseresh: na-HOO-se-resh
Sophos: SŌ-fos
Ambiades: am-BĪ-ah-dēs
and, just for kicks:
Philonikes: fil-OH-nuh-kēs (short 'o')/fil-oh-NĪ-kēs (long 'i'). I can never decide.

I grew up in California, but I've spent the last six years in New England. So, my accent's pretty weird...>.>

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

I believe (for the sake of argument) that the final ruling by MWT was that it's your story as you personally experience it, so however you pronounce the names is the correct way :)

I like this idea, since apparently I pronounce the names completely different from everyone else XD

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Eugenides: yoo-JEN-id-eez. It's a Greek name. That's the appropriate pronunciation for that spelling as a Greek name.

Magus: MAG-us.... Well, the Oxford English Dictionary Online and Merriam-Webster Online say it should be MAY-gus.

Attolia: at-TOE-lee-uh

Eddis: ED-dis. First syllable as in "Eddie", not "eat".

Sounis: SOO-nis. Like Eugenides, based on the usual pronunciation of English spellings of Greek names.

Nahuseresh: na-hoo-SER-esh. I don't know anything special about pronouncing Mesopotamian names.

-- Dr. Whom, Consulting Linguist, Grammarian,
Orthoepist, and Philological Busybody
[This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, mostly.]

[avian-xj.livejournal.com]

I agree. Evidently I don't pronounce them the same either. :)

Welcome to all you new people as well!

[mycenaeth.livejournal.com]

Eugenides: Yoo-juh-nigh-dees
Magus: hard G... Mag-us
Attolia: Uh-toll-ee-uh
Sounis: Sow-niss
Nahusaresh: Nuh-whoo-suh-resh

[mycenaeth.livejournal.com]

Niagara Falls, NY. =p

[octopirock.livejournal.com]

I pronounce everything pretty much the same as you, except I pronounce Magus like Magna Carta.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I pronounce them exactly like you do, except I say SOO-nis. Wasn't sure about that last one, but I say Fi(long i)-LON-uh-keys.

And welcome, all new folks. Yay!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

You know, I used to pronounce it 'MAY-gus', but then I heard people saying 'MAY-jus', and I liked it better so I started saying it that way too. :P Seems like I'm in the minority with 'yoo-jen-EYE-deez'. Although now that I've seen so many people saying 'yoo-JEN-id-eez' I'll probably start saying it like that too... but I like my pronunciation better! XD Oh well.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

*sends icon love* to fizzko

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

Eugenides with a short i, and Eddis with a short e

That's how I think of it (in my head, since I have not yet read any passages aloud) as well.

[fizzko.livejournal.com]

Ha, thanks. :)

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Eh, the letter "g" is never hard (as in "got") before "a", "o", or "u", with I believe the sole exception of "margarine". English has very few sound/spelling rules you can count on, but that's one of them.

[dannybailey.livejournal.com]

I think I'm the only person who says Sounis as SOW-nis. It makes sense to me. Like the beginning of 'sound'.

Also, I say Na-HUGH-ser-esh. (Hugh like the name.)

Other than that, many of you guys have heard my pronunciations already in my recording. :)

[allthingevil123.livejournal.com]

am i the only person who pronouces eugenides
yoo-GEN-nide-s sorry if thats rubbish phonetically but....
i only pronouce it like that cos my friend who introduced me to the books did so i never thought of pronoucing it differently
oh and i'm in the south of the uk, as is my friend

[rowana.livejournal.com]

*seconds the icon love*