Help! I Need a Pronunciation Guide, Please!

[Mackenzie]

Hey there, I'm almost done with the second book (A Clash of Kings) and I've been wondering how to pronounce characters'(and places) names without looking like a fool in front of my friends.
I haven't watched the show yet, so I have no idea what is the right way and what is the wrong way.
Please, I already know how to pronounce simple names such as Jon, Winterfell, etc; etc; so please don't leave sarcastic comments.

I'm sure I'm not the only reader who has struggled with the names.

[Aaryn]

George R.R. Martin himself has said he doesn't care how things are pronounced, and even pronounces some things differently to how most fans or the TV show pronounce them. Most people would be getting their pronounciation from the HBO show, which is a good a start as any for pronounciation, as theirs is the most common.

On a related note, there's a funny story of how the guy who created the Dothraki language assumed 'Dothraki' was pronounced with 'e' sound at the end (as the rules of language dictate, and as most people do), but discovered GRRM pronounced it with an odd 'i' sound at the end, AFTER the show had started to air!

tl;dr - Go by the HBO pronounciation if you want to go with the majority, because the author couldn't care less about it.

[Mitali]

Mackenzie, tell us which specific names you have trouble with, and we'll tell you the pronounciations (based on the HBO show). It's difficult to list all the pronounciations, given what a huge number of characters this series has.

[Jenna]

i understand completly what u mean. me and my boyfriend both read this and i pronounced Lannister differently then he did he prounounced it the way they did in the show i pronounced it a different way i guess the best way to describe how i done it was i said both n's Lan-nister instead of one n lol yea i was weird

[C.C.]

I always pronounced Tyrion Tie-ree-un while on the show its Teer-ee-un. I thought it fit better with Tywin.

[Jenna]

i actually prounounced Tyrion as Tie-run lol til i watched the show of course

[Stacey]

C.C. wrote: "I always pronounced Tyrion Tie-ree-un while on the show its Teer-ee-un. I thought it fit better with Tywin."

I still pronounce it Tie-Ree-Un. I think Teer-ee-un sounds wrong :)

[Carina]

With Tyrion I always do a harsh 'T' then ree-un. I guess if I was to try and do it phonetically the closest I could get would 'tearie-un'.

I never really thought about the different ways people could or would pronounce the names of people and places. And I think it is good that Martin himself doesn't mind either.

[Will]

C.C. wrote: "I always pronounced Tyrion Tie-ree-un while on the show its Teer-ee-un. I thought it fit better with Tywin."

GRR Martin pronounces it just like the show does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhWE3g...

I'm pretty sure that the show's pronunciations are the correct pronunciations as GRR Martin is part of the production team and has said he is the on set authority for pronunciations and for other matters of assurance on faithful adaptations.

You can hear him pronouncing many other character's names here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psbBi7...

[Jenna]

Will wrote: "C.C. wrote: "I always pronounced Tyrion Tie-ree-un while on the show its Teer-ee-un. I thought it fit better with Tywin."

GRR Martin pronounces it just like the show does.

http://www.youtube.com..."

of course he prounounces it like the show does he's one of the producers or whatever. he takes part in the making of the show so the show is prounciating is dead on

[Jenna]

did not mean that to come off rude ^------^

[Will]

Uh yeah, that was my point and I clearly said that. I should have quoted the person above who said GRR Martin pronounces the names differently from the show.

[Jenna]

well clearly i shouldnt have put i didnt mean for that be come off rude since others dont care either and Clearly i said of course he does meaning i didnt say u didnt say that

[Will]

I'm just saying I don't know what your point is, you just reiterated and confirmed what I said, but you said it argumentatively starting with "of course." The reason I mentioned it is because someone above said that GRRM uses different pronunciations from the TV show, so I was just pointing out that this wasn't the case.

[Jenna]

and i was putting that he had part in the show...not everyone has watched that show thats read the books, and i even put that i didnt mean for it to come off that way that was me apologizing but u obviously didnt care

[Will]

Thanks for the apology, but the rudeness isn't what bothered me about your reply. I suppose I'm just all around confused by your post. Sorry. Have a great day!

[Jenna]

i didnt read all of ur comment so yea i was in the wrong, but still no reason for ur rudeness when i pretty much apologized for my rudeness before u even commented

[Danielle]

I've only read the books, not seen the TV show, but I don't think it really matters about pronunciation. I've read plenty of books with weird names but I think the mind just recognises the word. I know I don't "pronounce" every word in my head when I read. I did read Tyrion as Tierion, as in the word tier then ion, I never puzzled over it, I presumed that what how it was spoken by how it was spelt.

[Mary]

I'd been thinking Jeyne Poole was "Jenny" Poole, until I read the line, "Jeyne, Jeyne, it rhymes with pain." Very helpful.

[Phil]

Being Welsh, I pronounce the words as if they were Welsh. For example Tyrion is Welsh for gentle so I pronounce it in the same way - Tirr-yon. Works for me!

[Kirby]

Phil wrote: "Being Welsh, I pronounce the words as if they were Welsh. For example Tyrion is Welsh for gentle so I pronounce it in the same way - Tirr-yon. Works for me!"

oh, I didn't know that! are any of the other names welsh?