sorry, it's a pronunciation thread again

[ThryllSeekyr]

Merddyn looks a bit Welsh. I used to read it as MYRRH-THIN, with a soft-not-hard 'TH'.

It was at this point that I thought you meant Mirror-Thin as reads to me. I like the sound of that. Though I'm sure what you mean about the soft pronuciatation of TH.

I think the same is suggested by the wikipedia article you link to.

Myrddin Wyllt (pronounced [ˈmərðɪn wɨɬt]) or Merlinus Caledonensis

First time that I have noticed that. To me that reads as "Mardin" or "Merdin"?

MERLIN will do, I'm sure. It's less effort.

Sure, but his strong associations with Arthurian mythology throws me off his association with Slaine. Of course, they are all associated...., but some more than others. Now come to think of it. I'm not sure if Slaine's Myrddin is the same Merlin or just his counterpart.

I forget if it was Myrddin or Merddyn,

As far as Slaine is concerned, it's the first one you wrote.

I think it said there 'dd' is pronounced soft 'th' as in 'the' not 'thank'.

Now that I know that, I assume that Myrddinis pronouced as Mer - Din.

Correct me if you think I'm wrong, but the TH from the does sound alot like a D when I try to say it isolated.

Which is funny as it's DD anyway.

DD - pronounced TH, as in English 'breathe'

So it's MERD - THIN

I think I like the earlier pronouciation.

Y - In all but the last syllable of a word it's pronounced as a U - as in English 'fun'.
When it is in the last syllable of a word it is pronounced as an i - as in English 'is'.
In single syllable words, the Y could be either.

Knowing that, I think it would still sound the same as I have pronounced it before.

Surely the correct pronunciation of 'Boudicca" is "Boo-dicker", and the correct pronunciation of "Bodeceia", which I've forgotten how to spell today, is "Boe-d'seeya"? Seeing as they are very different names that MAY relate to a single maybe-historical personage.

I 'm not so sure now? They are two different but similer sounding names that I thought were of the same warrior/witch woman of history.

To claim that there must be a "correct" pronunciation is like saying there must be one way to pronounce "Stephen" and "Etienne".

Is that joke or are you seriously saying that Stephen can be be pronouced more than one way. I just pronouce that one as steev - ven

Which sounds like the other way of spelling it.

[SmallBlueThing]

Hiya Thryllseekyr!

Ah, now, "Stephen" SHOULD be pronounced "Stee-Fen", as opposed to "Steven", which as you rightly say is "Stee-Ven". But that's not the point I was making. Boudicca and Bodeceia (again, spelling has gone arseways), are two different translations, in different languages, of the same name. Just as Stephen and Etienne are the "same name" in two different languages.

Steev

[TordelBack]

Modern Greek has a great consistent phonetic thing going where you can actually pronounce pretty much any word from just reading and sounding the letters and accents, without any insider knowledge of how to say things like trough, through and thorough, never mind Farquahar or Cholmondley.  I wonder how they pronounce Sláine?

[House of Usher]

Merddyn looks a bit Welsh. I used to read it as MYRRH-THIN, with a soft-not-hard 'TH'.
It was at this point that I thought you meant Mirror-Thin as reads to me. I like the sound of that. Though I'm sure what you mean about the soft pronuciatation of TH.

I said 'myrrh' because it sounds exactly like the embalming substance presented to the baby Jesus by the wise men. I thought eveyone knew how to pronounce that. Same as in Merlin and murder. The soft 'TH' is as in this, that and the, as someone else said. So: Mer-th-in.

Going by the wikipedia article, it looks to me as if Myrddin Wyllt was a real person who the myth-makers have moved back in time a couple of hundred years and grafted onto the Arthurian story. It also looks as if Pat Mills has then grafted Merlin (Merddyn) onto the Slaine story because he might as well.

I see no reason why Boudicca and Bodicea shouldn't be the same person. Isn't Bodicea just a more flowery version of the same name?

[I, Cosh]

I said 'myrrh' because it sounds exactly like the embalming substance presented to the baby Jesus by the wise men. I thought eveyone knew how to pronounce that. Same as in Merlin and murder. The soft 'TH' is as in this, that and the, as someone else said. So: Mer-th-in.

I'll confess I haven't been following this thread as closely as I could, but you've confused me now. I will admit to being Scottish, if it helps, but that Mer- and mur- are quite different sounds for me and neither of them exactly like Myrrh, but the latter is closest.

Now, I was flicking through an Elric book last night. Any advice on how to pronounce Immryr, Yrkoon and Cymoril?

[SmallBlueThing]

Now, I was flicking through an Elric book last night. Any advice on how to pronounce Immryr, Yrkoon and Cymoril?

"In me rear", "Yer Koon" and "Sim oral"?

Who knows.

Just time for a quick pronunciation thing before work:

When I was at college, we had this guy in English who was THE most pretentious twat it's possible to meet. Amusingly, he was adamant that "Cenobites" from Hellraiser were pronounced "Say-no-bit-ace", "ninjas" were "nin-hars" and Babylon was "B'buy-lon". When Babylon 5 came out we used to loudly talk about "B'buy-lon fiv-ay" in his presence. Ho and indeed ho.

I once stood behind some teenagers in a comic shop, talking about "Arm-ee-tarj" (with the "j" sounding like zsa-zsa gabor). And today, while in the newsie, a woman told her son to go and choose "arse lallies" for him and his brother. There was also a friend of mine, who due to his Westcountry accent, reffered to the Ice Warriors of Dr Who as "Arse Worriers" and the cybermen as "Zoibermen". Hilarity often ensued.

Personally, it always winds me up when people say "Judge Dredd", any fool knows it's pronounced "Dreed".

Steev

[Kerrin]

Ah yes Spooky but as it's Dredd with a double D,

DD - pronounced TH, as in English 'breathe'

it's actually JUDGE DREETH.

Holy shit!

See where this threads got us?

Well I just hope you're all happy.

Judge Dreeth, for cryin' out loud.

[House of Usher]

I will admit to being Scottish, if it helps, but that Mer- and mur- are quite different sounds for me and neither of them exactly like Myrrh, but the latter is closest.

Now, I was flicking through an Elric book last night. Any advice on how to pronounce Immryr, Yrkoon and Cymoril?

I hadn't thought of that! I was going by London-centric 1970s BBC received pronunciation. I can hear the difference in the Scottish pronunciation of Merlin and murder. Both 'mer-' and mur-' sound the same in my Sussex accent.

When I used to read Michael Moorcock, I'd read those words as 'Imm-rear', 'Yer-ko-on' and 'Sigh-more-ill'. Is that any good?

[Sefton Disney]

For what it's worth, I pronounce them like this:

Cythron = "Scythe-ron"

Cyth = "Sith"

Slaine = "Slayn"

Myrddin = "Merthin"

Since Slaine plays pretty fast and loose with Celtic/Norse mythology, I think it's fair enough to play a bit fast and loose with pronunciation. Anything for an easy life at my age.

I know there is a connection with Celtic mythology but, to me, the Cythrons have always had a lot more in common with H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard than they do with the Tain, so I don't sweat it too much!

[SmallBlueThing]

BUMP!

Rigellion Hotshot... "RIG- ellion", or "Ryjellian"?

Always been RIG-ellion for me, despite knowing better.

Steev

[House of Usher]

I'll go for ridge-ellion. Although in Star Trek don't they always say 'rye-gel'?

[Mardroid]

BUMP!

Rigellion Hotshot... "RIG- ellion", or "Ryjellian"?

Always been RIG-ellion for me, despite knowing better.

In my mind it's Ryjellian. Star Wars, right?