Greg Riffe
asked
Lawrence Watt-Evans:
I just saw your tweet about the "how to pronounce these place-names" page and it got me wondering. There are a lot of uncommon names of characters and locations in Sci-Fi and Fantasy work but seldom any pronunciation guides. Do you have specific pronunciations in mind when you create names? Can you share what your pronunciations are for some of your works?
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Sorry it took me so long to respond; I was traveling.
Yes, I always have a pronunciation in mind; when I invent a name, I almost always come up with what I want it to sound like first, then try to devise a spelling that will get most English-speaking readers close to what I was thinking.
I've provided pronunciation guides a few times as appendices. I know there's an Ethshar one, and one of the Lords of Dus series, but right now I don't remember which specific volumes they're in. Generally I try to make my spellings as phonetic as I can, with the exception of silent E's at the end of a few.
I try to have a feel for what each invented language sounds like. For example Domdur, from Touched by the Gods, should be pronounced as if you're speaking Russian with a bad cold, while Ethsharitic has almost an Irish lilt to it. There isn't any good way to convey this to readers, though.
In the end, it doesn't really matter -- pronounce the names however you're comfortable. As long as you can keep them straight, they're doing their job.
Yes, I always have a pronunciation in mind; when I invent a name, I almost always come up with what I want it to sound like first, then try to devise a spelling that will get most English-speaking readers close to what I was thinking.
I've provided pronunciation guides a few times as appendices. I know there's an Ethshar one, and one of the Lords of Dus series, but right now I don't remember which specific volumes they're in. Generally I try to make my spellings as phonetic as I can, with the exception of silent E's at the end of a few.
I try to have a feel for what each invented language sounds like. For example Domdur, from Touched by the Gods, should be pronounced as if you're speaking Russian with a bad cold, while Ethsharitic has almost an Irish lilt to it. There isn't any good way to convey this to readers, though.
In the end, it doesn't really matter -- pronounce the names however you're comfortable. As long as you can keep them straight, they're doing their job.
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