How do you pronouce Elan?

[Hbgplayer]

I have read the comic since June, and read up to that point in two nights, and didn't think about how it was pronouced (possibly from sleep deprivation? :smalltongue:), but now, as I have read the comics since then, and gone back and reread many of them, I have discovered that I pronounce his name in my head (or I read it) diffrent almost every time, and I've found myself pronouncing one of these three ways:
1)Elain (Long "e" sound, long "a" sound)
2)elan (short "e", short "a")
or 3)elain (short e, long a)

So my question is, how is it supposed to pronounced? I know that many accents will pronounce it diffrently, but how do you think The Giant meant for it to be pronounced? Yes, that is a total hope that The Giant will respond, but I don't have my hopes up.

[Da'Shain]

I think the technically correct pronunciation of the word is "ey-lahn", but I usually pronounce his name "ih-lan" with a short a myself, at least in my head.

[ThePhantasm]

Elan is EE-lin.

And here's the official pronunciation guide. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10156885&postcount=5)

[jere7my]

So my question is, how is it supposed to pronounced? I know that many accents will pronounce it diffrently, but how do you think The Giant meant for it to be pronounced?

Presumably it's pronounced like the word élan: either ay-LAHN or ay-LANN. I'd pick the former, but I took French.

(Etymology note: the "lan" in "élan" comes from the same root as "lance".)

[Hbgplayer]

Elan is EE-lin.

And here's the official pronunciation guide. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10156885&postcount=5)



Ah, thank you...
but that's not at all how I imagined being pronounced :smallfrown:

[Cranica]

It'll always be el-in in my head, but word of the Giant is word of the Giant I guess.

[Draconi Redfir]

i always pronounce it E-Lane (Layne) myself.

[Nimrod's Son]

Elan is EE-lin.

And here's the official pronunciation guide. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10156885&postcount=5)
When Rich transcribed that, he didn't take his own accent into account. Having heard him say it himself (there's an old radio interview somewhere, seemingly lost in the mists of time, where he mentions the name several times), there is no way I'd transcribe it as EE-lin based on his own pronunciation. By the IPA it'd be 'iːl(ə)n, as in "New Zealand", or the name Ian with a L stuck n the middle.

In fact, that official pronunciation guide isn't worth much as a definitive resource, Word of God notwithstanding, because of the various ways many of those broken-down syllables can themselves be interpreted. The IPA is a far more accurate method of noting pronunciations.

[Red XIV]

I've always pronounced it "EE-lahn".

[ThePhantasm]

there is no way I'd transcribe it as EE-lin based on his own pronunciation. By the IPA it'd be 'iːl(ə)n, as in "New Zealand",

:smallconfused: I would pronounce the bold part of "New Zealand" EE-lin. New ZEElind. I'm not sure I see that there is a stark difference here. IPA is certainly a better way of doing things but I think Rich's simple guide gets us close enough.

If you ever find a link to that radio interview I'd be most appreciative.

[Gift Jeraff]

When Rich transcribed that, he didn't take his own accent into account. Having heard him say it himself (there's an old radio interview somewhere, seemingly lost in the mists of time, where he mentions the name several times), there is no way I'd transcribe it as EE-lin based on his own pronunciation. By the IPA it'd be 'iːl(ə)n, as in "New Zealand", or the name Ian with a L stuck n the middle.

In fact, that official pronunciation guide isn't worth much as a definitive resource, Word of God notwithstanding, because of the various ways many of those broken-down syllables can themselves be interpreted. The IPA is a far more accurate method of noting pronunciations.Genuine question: how else would EE-lin sound?

[Bulldog Psion]

EE-lan is how I say it. For no particular reason whatsoever.

(I'm still trying to wrap my head around "Roland 'Itiative" sounding like "roll initiative", as a semi-related side note. It just doesn't sound anything like that when I say it.)

[HalfDragonCube]

How do I pronouce Elan?

Wrongly.

[PhallicWarrior]

I pronounce it eh-lahn (bolding indicates syllabic emphasis.)

[Onyavar]

[...] By the IPA it'd be 'iːl(ə)n, as in "New Zealand", or the name Ian with a L stuck n the middle. [...]


Genuine question: how else would EE-lin sound?

Given that there are dozens of ways to pronounce the "i" in English? I myself would always go with the short "i" like "since", "win" when I see "EE-lin" as official pronounciation.
I always thought of the "New Z-ealan-d" pronounciation myself - so thanks for the confirmation!

Nimrod has a point when he says that IPA is much less ambiguous.


[...]
If you ever find a link to that radio interview I'd be most appreciative.

Seconded!

[gamingfreak10]

I say the E as in when you say the letter e, and the lan somewhere inbetween len and lan (like lan party)

[eulmanis12]

I thought it was

L (as in the name of the letter)- an (like the word)

[Fenchurch]

I thought it was

L (as in the name of the letter)- an (like the word)

Me too. That's how it would be pronounced if it was a spanish word, so it's always the first thing to come to my mind.
On the other hand I think everybody agrees on how to pronounce Haley but people often misspell it in ways that would pronounce the same.

[KoboldRevenge]

I say it L-Lan.

[Kish]

I pronounce it, "You idiot."

(Not really. Though if I had to deal with him in real life, I'm sure it would be tempting.)

[Howler Dagger]

EE-lan is how I say it. For no particular reason whatsoever.

(I'm still trying to wrap my head around "Roland 'Itiative" sounding like "roll initiative", as a semi-related side note. It just doesn't sound anything like that when I say it.)

You ignore the "D" and say it all at once.

I originally pronounced it ellen (rhymes with ben), but now pronounce it the "corrrect" way.

Intersetingly enough, google has the pronounciation of e(theres a ` there but I have no clue how to put it there)lan as "āˈlän" Since thw word means "energy, style, and enthusiasm" I would guess the Giant named him from that word.

[Flame of Anor]

Elan is EE-lin.


Which I think is silly. I always pronounce it like the word "elan" (which is the same way PhallicWarrior does).

[Nimrod's Son]

If you ever find a link to that radio interview I'd be most appreciative.
Yes, so would I. It was years ago when I heard it, shortly after I joined the forums. I've asked several times if anyone has a link, but the most helpful answer has always just been something along the lines of Selene's post (#38) here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146410&page=2).

[Dark Elf Bard]

I pronounce it, "You idiot."]
This wins.

[kaiguy]

Genuine question: how else would EE-lin sound?

The point the original poster was making (I think) is that with the heavy stress on the first syllable, the vowel would be a reduced schwa (as they transcribed it.) One other way to pronounce it would be to give the 'i' its full value, and pronounce it as a 'short i' - /ɪ/.

Or, in other words, the difference between /'ilən/ and /'ilɪn/. I agree, I think the first sounds both more natural, and close to what the giant was suggesting.

[Beanie]

In regards to the radio interview, is this (http://www.geeklabel.com/podcast/geeklabel_interview_005.mp3) what you guys are talking about? He mentions Elan once around the 9:30 mark (When they're talking about the idea of a film).

[Dr.Epic]

How do I pronouce Elan?

Wrongly.

Or to put another way. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRVUOGUmxJI&feature=related):smallwink:

Also, we're all clear how "Nale" is pronounced right? Because it was a joke used times in this strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0367.html).

[Hbgplayer]

Well, I would post some witty comment about how it's completely different, but I can't figure out how to post the pronunciation symbols. :smallannoyed:

[Jzadek]

I just listened to that podcast, and in a traditional english accent (mine), it would be pronounced "EE-Lahn", just for those brits befuddled at how "lan" could ever equate to "lin".

[Ulysses WkAmil]

I always pronounced it EE-Lahn, figuring that pronouncing it ellen would just feel weird. Alos, unsure if Tarquin is sounded with the qu or just a k sound. If anyone has more recent list of pronounciations, pleas link :smallsmile:

[kaiguy]

Well, I would post some witty comment about how it's completely different, but I can't figure out how to post the pronunciation symbols. :smallannoyed:

http://ipa.typeit.org/

Learning to pronounce them all takes some time too.

[Thornus67]

(I'm still trying to wrap my head around "Roland 'Itiative" sounding like "roll initiative", as a semi-related side note. It just doesn't sound anything like that when I say it.)

In my Southern accent, when saying words which end in -ing, I don't vocalize the g. So, for rolling, my accent gets it out more as rollin'. I think Roland Initiative is supposed to be something similar and be a pun for Rolling Initiative rather than just Roll Initiative. So Roland, when I say it, comes out almost exactly the way I say Rolling.

Also, Ee-lahn. I don't tend to care for official pronunciation guides. I read it as Ee-lahn long before I ever saw any Word of God saying otherwise. It got ingrained in my head how I think it.

[Caractacus]

Yeah, I'm okay with the fact that I am pronouncing it differently from Rich's idea, but his association with bardic elements is so strong( obviously) that I can't disassociate his name from the word elan...

[Grook]

In my Southern accent, when saying words which end in -ing, I don't vocalize the g. So, for rolling, my accent gets it out more as rollin'. I think Roland Initiative is supposed to be something similar and be a pun for Rolling Initiative rather than just Roll Initiative. So Roland, when I say it, comes out almost exactly the way I say Rolling.

You're half right. It's hard to spot at first, but check out the last name. "Itiative" is not Initiative, even though they look really, really similar. It's missing a syllable, which actually means it still is a pun on "roll initiative." Confusing until you look it over a few times, probably. You definitely have the first name's pronunciation right, however.

As for Elan, I pronounced it Ee-LAN (rhymes with tree man) when I first started reading the comic, but I decided a few years ago that I liked EE-lin better, so it stuck.

[Spookymurloc]

I always pronounced it EE-Lahn, figuring that pronouncing it ellen would just feel weird. Alos, unsure if Tarquin is sounded with the qu or just a k sound. If anyone has more recent list of pronounciations, pleas link :smallsmile:

I don't know how helpful this may be, but I recall a quote from the giant saying Tarquin was named from a Roman king, so the pronunciation would probably follow latin style.

As for Elan, the WoG was EE-lin but I always imagined it was EE-lahn or Eh-lahn.
:o

edit:

You're half right. It's hard to spot at first, but check out the last name. "Itiative" is not Initiative, even though they look really, really similar. It's missing a syllable, which actually means it still is a pun on "roll initiative." Confusing until you look it over a few times, probably. You definitely have the first name's pronunciation right, however.

I thought it was a pun on "rolled initiative", just seemed to fit better to me than "roll initiative"
edit2: also if you slur/speak fast, the "nd" in Roland and the "in" in initiative tend to blur together, so it sounds more like you said "rolled 'nitiative"
sorta...
:smalltongue:

[martianmister]

EE-lin
HAY-lee
vahr-SOOV-ee-us
DUHR-kon
ROY
BELL-karr
ZYE-kon
NAIL
sa-BEEN
THOG
YIK YIK
ZIZ-di-tree
HILL-gee-ya
DOOR-oo-kon

What is the differences between O and o?

[ORione]

What is the differences between O and o?

Emphasis, I think. Usually one syllable in a word is stressed more than the others.

[Gorbad Ironclaw]

I've always pronounced it EE-lahn; that pronunciation is definitely affected by the fact that an Ottawa valley accent is a mutation/degradation/elevation (pick at your own discretion) of the Irish accent, which in turn was heavily influenced by the British accent.

[Szilard]

I actually have a friend named Elan. Everyone pronounces it e-lawn.