this 'n that
This week has kicked up a lot of as-it-were sedimentary material from my prior PR, because the internet remembers everything, apparently, sort of like the Mind of God. (If this fact does not appall you, I can only conclude you are still young and innocent. So far.) One of the more delightful bits of older fanac, clearly created by persons vastly more media-tech-savvy than I am, was this one --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRyMH...
The other issue probably worth half a post is pronunciation. A few of the recurring ones --
Barrayar -- BEAR-ah-yar. (A surprising number of people seem to want to divide it between the two Rs, which I can't even wrap my mouth around.)
Vorkosigan -- VorKOHs'gan.
Bujold -- BOO-zhold. (French J, not Spanish, nor whichever languages pronounce a J as a Y. The first syllable is not very strongly accented.)
If anyone has any more pronunciation puzzles, pop them into the comments, and I'll do my best to answer.
Ta, L.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRyMH...
The other issue probably worth half a post is pronunciation. A few of the recurring ones --
Barrayar -- BEAR-ah-yar. (A surprising number of people seem to want to divide it between the two Rs, which I can't even wrap my mouth around.)
Vorkosigan -- VorKOHs'gan.
Bujold -- BOO-zhold. (French J, not Spanish, nor whichever languages pronounce a J as a Y. The first syllable is not very strongly accented.)
If anyone has any more pronunciation puzzles, pop them into the comments, and I'll do my best to answer.
Ta, L.
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Does Grover Gardner say everything correctly? I noticed Dendarii changed pronunciations from one book to the next.
Gardner also has multiple pronunciations of Galleni and Kosti and even Ekaterin (sometimes adding a Y sound at the beginning)
Jack wrote: "Does Grover Gardner say everything correctly? I noticed Dendarii changed pronunciations from one book to the next."We caught up with each other for a sound check for the first time after several books had been recorded. He first guessed, logically enough, that "Dendarii" would be the same as in, say, a scientific species name. In fact I pronounce it "den-DARE-ee".
Correct for the others mentioned: Gal-EE-nee, Ee-KAT-'r-in, COST-ee... I'm not sure how to phonetically spell Ky Tung more simply, but Ky as in kite, tung as in tungsten.
And Nikys is NICK-eez. I think Grover is, or was, doing her name as NIKE-iss, as in bike and Istria.
That said, feel free to pronounce the names in your head as you all find most comfortable.
Ta, L..
I correct most of them in my head when I'm listening but I think I'm "stuck" with the Gardner pronunciation of Nikys.
There are a couple of "frozen in time" pronunciation guides still out there on the web, neither addressing recent books, though. For the Vorkosigan books, I think this is the one (last updated in 2002, alas): http://www.dendarii.com/dictionary.htmlFor Chalion, the online version is Curse of Chalion only. An updated and Lois-edited version of Curse+Paladin is in the ebook of Paladin. I never finished my notes for The Hallowed Hunt, and haven't tackled the Penric stories at all: http://www.dendarii.com/dict-chalion....
If I ever revive the project, I'll change the phonetic key--I think it led Grover Gardner to use "dedicaht" instead of "dedicat" (rhymes with cat)....or maybe he did that on his own when he started the Penric stories. :)
Lois wrote: "Jack wrote: "Does Grover Gardner say everything correctly? I noticed Dendarii changed pronunciations from one book to the next."We caught up with each other for a sound check for the first time a..."
I just did a full re-listen and i think most of the books were corrected and only Brothers in Arms is left with incorrect pronunciation, and maybe Memory too (Ma Kostai).
Thanks for the pronunciation guide. I've always read Barrayar as "Buh-RYE-yar" so it's good to know how its creator thinks of it.
A few more Gardner variable pronunciations - Vorbarra, Vorloupolos, Radovas, Vorthys
Vor-BEAR-ahVor LOOP-uo-los
RAD-oh-vas
Vor-thiss (or Vor-thice, never could make up my mind. Somewhere in the vicinity of those two, anyway.)
L.
Talli wrote: "Accent on Vor or thys?"Vor, if not strongly.
L.
Lois wrote: "Jack wrote: "Does Grover Gardner say everything correctly? I noticed Dendarii changed pronunciations from one book to the next."We caught up with each other for a sound check for the first time a..."
Thank you for your clarification of how these names sound in YOUR head. I love Grover Gardner's narration, but Den-dare-ee-eye just seemed wrong.
Am currently on my nth re-read of *Memory*. Just finished the re-read of *Captain Vorpatril's Alliance*, such a great, fun book - shades of Georgette and Ocean's Eleven always watching in glee, I'm sure.
Talli wrote: "Oh, and Ryoval and Stauber"RYE-oh-val
Not sure how to spell the other more phonetically than it is, but maybe
STAU-ber
Ta, L.
Even Bernadette Dunne does multiple pronunciations - Aunt Mari varies among Mary, MAHree, and mahREE
I was a bit dismayed to see the Russian covers of your books where they transliterated your name "Буджолд." Since the j is French, your name in Cyrillic would naturally be Бужолд. Now they've got everyone in Russia pronouncing it wrong.
Jannah wrote: "I was a bit dismayed to see the Russian covers of your books where they transliterated your name "Буджолд." Since the j is French, your name in Cyrillic would naturally be Бужолд. Now they've got e..."I don't read Russian -- could you render that phonetically?
Curious, L. (For a mere 6 letters, my surname gives a lot of trouble. I keep thinking I should have gone with just "Lois McMaster" back in 1985 when I was choosing my writing name, but it is Too Late Now.)
Lois wrote: "Jannah wrote: "I was a bit dismayed to see the Russian covers of your books where they transliterated your name "Буджолд." Since the j is French, your name in Cyrillic would naturally be Бужолд. No..."Your name would naturally be transliterated into Cyrillic as "Buzhold" with the letter "zh" corresponding to the French j. But they made it "Budzhold" as though the j were pronounced as in English.
I was also bemused to see them transliterating the Russian name Ivan according to the English pronunciation, Айвен "Ayven" instead of the original Russian orthography Иван.
As for Geneviève, her name is spelled completely different in Russian, Бюжо "Byuzho," with "yu" to represent the French u, and the silent final consonants omitted.
I noticed another phonetic adaptation made by your Russian translators. They write Vorkosigan as "Forkosigan." My guess is they interpreted Vor as the German word "vor," meaning before, ahead of, prior. In German the v is pronounced like f. Thereby avoiding the Russian word for thief, "vor." Given the origin of Vor Counts from "accountants," collecting the people's money, the coincidence with the Russian word for thief was an inspired one—although rejected by the Russian translators.
Jannah wrote: "I noticed another phonetic adaptation made by your Russian translators. They write Vorkosigan as "Forkosigan." My guess is they interpreted Vor as the German word "vor," meaning before, ahead of, p..."My pronunciation actually wanders around between the hard and soft j, and the original French Canadian pronunciation was different still, something like "Bijou". So "wrong" is perhaps too strong a term for the various manglements my surname undergoes.
Ta, L.
I will gladly correct myself in the future.