Mis-Pronouncing the WoT and RJ's hatred for the diphthong

[csarmi]

On 3/13/2010 at 4:39 AM, Beer Rot said:

I pronounce it however it feels most comfortable for me.

 

If RJ had wanted it pronounced a certain way, he should've spelled it a hell of a lot more phonetically correct.

 

taim = tah-eem?  dude was on serious drugs.

 

tame, ayvee-enduh, ale, mwar-ayne, ee-gwen, shawn-chan, kwen-dill-ar

 

yadda yadda

It's interesting because they ARE written almost completely phonetically with a few exceptions. It's just that the English language does not write phonetically since the great vowel shift, your long vowels have moved all around the place. Just try to pronounce them as if the were written in latin (or any other european language that didn't change the spelling of words in such a crazy way) and you'll have better luck.

[settlestone]

I say Seanchan as SEEN-chan, when I heard the pronunciation in the audiobook it took me aback until I figured out who they were talking about.  I still think my pronunciation is better phonetically no matter what the author said it was :P.  I could also see it being SEE-AN-chan

[Beth]

Does no one else see Nynavae and think Nin-uh-vay (nin like pin, vay like bay). Look closely and tell me that doesn’t make the most sense? Or am I crazy?

Also, I have been looking everywhere to find somewhere I can listen to someone pronounce Cairhien for me because these  “phonetics” he wrote make no sense to me sometimes. If anyone can put a link, I would greatly appreciate it. All the links I’ve found don’t work anymore

[Asha'man Shar'aman]

2 hours ago, Beth said:

Does no one else see Nynavae and think Nin-uh-vay (nin like pin, vay like bay). Look closely and tell me that doesn’t make the most sense? Or am I crazy?

Also, I have been looking everywhere to find somewhere I can listen to someone pronounce Cairhien for me because these  “phonetics” he wrote make no sense to me sometimes. If anyone can put a link, I would greatly appreciate it. All the links I’ve found don’t work anymore

Cairhien got me too. I say Ny-nave.

 

This it from the glossary at the back of the Eye of the World:

 

Cairhien (KEYE-ree-EHN)

 

I always said it like Care-hen, or KYE-ree-EHN

Edited May 5, 2021 by Asha'man Shar'aman

[Elessar]

This is an interesting topic.

 

I think how you pronouce the WoT and its world comes down to many things: what you feel 'natural', what you feel comfortable with, how you have heard/read it prononuced. For me as a non-English speaker how it feels 'logical' in English also plays a part and I am also influenced (perhaps in part subconsciously) by how I pronounce sounds in my own language.

 

I have found, reading and listening to how English/American WoT fans pronounce things, that my thoughts on how names and places are supposed to be in the WoT world are quite different from the standard. Not that it bothers me in the slightest, but it is interesting to note. 

 

For ex.

 

Lanfear which most pronouce as it stands, lan (a as in can) fear (e as in here) whereas I have always thought of it as lan (a as in car) fear (e as in the name Esther + a as in car + a thin r). A radical approach I guess but that's the way it sounded in my head when I first read about that delicisiously evil female character in Robert Jordan's world.

 

Cairhien, this I have always pronouced cair (a as in car + i as in in) hien (i as in in + e as in end).

 

Tar Valon, here I have always put the stress on tar (the first part) instead of valon (the last part) while I see most English-speaking fans put stress on the last part.

 

Egwene, here I have always pronounced it as eg (e as in end + a soft g sound) wene (wene like ween) but with stress on the last part (the wene), not the first past which I get the impression many do.

 

Nynaeve, this one is especially interesting because I have yet to find anyone who pronounces it the way I do. I have always thought of it as nyn (y as in funny) aeve (eve as in evening) while most seem to use the y in the name as the y in sky.

 

As for the Lan pronouncation debate (a as in can) vs (a as in car) I am firmly in the first camp, but that's just the way I have always pronounced it.

[Beth]

So after doing some further digging, I have discovered that when RJ puts anywhere in his “phonetics” the “eye” together he wants you to pronounce it like the 2 things we see from. Watching lots of different videos of different pronunciations, there was at least 1 source that seemed like the most knowledgeable (the Wheel Of Time Community Show on YouTube especially Ebony). So Carhien is supposed to be kai(k-eye as in eyeballs)-re(as in repeat or redo)-in(like inside or tin) I would spell it like this Kairihen. Aes Sedai is eye(as in eyeballs)-is(as in hiss) Suh(like such without the c)-die(like to die/death) I would spell it like this Ieyis Sedigh. Lan they say it’s like lawn, but it’s not quite the same it more like Lon or Lahn for instance my grandfather’s name was Lonny like Johnny with an L. So I would have spelled his name either Lon or Lahn.

 

The reason why I’m trying to get this all clear in my head is because I am in the beginning of the second book. Knowing that I’ll be watching a show based off of them soon, I don’t want to have the wrong pronunciations solid in my brain or else I won’t be able to enjoy the show because I will be too distracted from everything being pronounced differently. My husband grew up reading these books and has been trying to get me to start them for a while, but having Narcolepsy and 2 little kids makes it hard to read books. But, I’m finally getting to them because I’m reading them aloud to my 2 year old to help him fall asleep. Sometimes I read to him for quite a while after he’s asleep though lol.