Hello group, I would like to get your general opinions as to the way individuals feel how Howard wanted his character's names to be pronounced. I am able to write and read the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), but alas do not know how to type in that alphabet on my computer! Hence, you will have to bear with me.... (I am not personally confused as to how these names are pronounced, I just want to see what everyone else thinks)
Starting with the man Conan himself: the disagreement seems to be around the final vowel sound in the name; whether it is a schwa or a flat 'a' sound. (I think everyone agrees that the initial 'o' vowel is a long vowel as in the word "cone") Examples: 1. Conan : Schwa as in "Robert E Howard was a TEXan" the schwa (or neutral vowel) version is the common way 'Conan' as a name is pronounced. Think of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or Conan O'Brien etc. 2. co-NAN: flat-'a', to rhyme with words like "pan" and "man", the flat 'a' version of the name places emphasis on both syllables with almost equal weight. Many people use this version of the name, but only in connection with our barbarian.... despite this pronounciation, you wouldn't find them saying "a centurion is a ro-MAN soldier." Next is the name Belit. These kinds of names are harder to me because they are foreign names not connected to Romance or Germanic language roots, sometimes from history, or mythology or even place names. Perhaps there is a Middle Eastern REH fan out there that will have a good idea on how the Queen of the Black Coast's name should be pronounced! I have noticed that the disagreement about Belit centers around again the last vowel, and how it functions with the final consonant. Despite the circumflex, I have never encountered anyone who didn't pronounce the first syllable of the name as "Bell". As hinted at before, 'e'-circumflex does not appear in English IPA, so if you have any ideas, lay them out! for comparative reference: 'a'-circumflex sounds as does the vowel in "air", 'a'-long sounds like "day", and 'a'-flat sounds like "hat" 1. bel-EET: Stressed on the last syllable, final vowel rhymed with 'heat'. 2. bel-IT: Stressed on the last syllable, final vowel rhymed with 'hit' 3. bel-EE: A pseudo-french pronounciation, with a silent 't', stressed on the final syllable. Another character is the enigmatic Thoth-Amon. This one might be the hardest because if there is any language that we could use as a pronouciation guide, I would guess it ought to be ancient Egyptian. There are differences in opinion among scholars as to the method in which hieroglyphs should be transcribed into Roman letters (hence how we pronounce the words), but this is not to be wondered at since the scientific study of Egyptian is only about 130 years old. Thanks to the work of Young and Champollion, and the cartouches of the Rosetta stone, we have some idea. There are a few versions of the name 'Thoth-Amon' that I have heard uttered. Attempts are below: 1. THOTH a-MON: 'thoth' with standard english usage of the 'th', as in "think", flat 'o' as in 'pond'. 'a-MON' with sress on the second syllable. The 2 vowels sound very close; the 'a' sounds as it does in "father" the 'o' is sounded as in the word "pond" 2. TOTH a-MON: the initial 'th' of the 'thoth' is pronounced hard in this version of the name, otherwise it is exactly as above. 3. A-mun: the stressing of the word 'amon' is reversed in this version, along with the vowel forms. The initial 'a' is made more flat, as in the word "hat", and the 'o' vowel is made to sound like a schwa, as in the second syllable of the word "roman": A-mun. This version of the word can be used with either of the above 'thoth' versions. I have heard them all. Let me know which one's you agree with, or how you pronounce the names, if these don't represent you. jesse ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
