another quibble

Discussion in 'General Trek Discussion' started by Dal Rassak, Feb 26, 2013.

  1. Dal Rassak

    Dal Rassak Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2013
    Location:
    Terok Nor
    ...and this is a really pedantic one!, blame it on the study of linguistics... but why do they go to the trouble of thinking up "different"-looking names for non-human characters when nobody tells the actors how to pronounce them?
    I'm thinking f'r instance of names likes Aamin Marritza being pronounced "Aymin" and Gul Darhe'el like a part of your foot, when any idiot should know that double-A equals ah, and an apostrophe separating two vowels indicates they're said separately (so two e's as in "ending" with a stop in between)... And when I read a name like Skrain, I'd rhyme that with fine, not with rain... I mean they're not supposed to be English!

    ...told you I was being pedantic. But does it ever annoy anyone besides me?
     
  2. yousirname

    yousirname Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2013
    'Okona' bothered me a little, though that's like the tiniest complaint you could imagine about that episode and character. Just call him "O'Connor", y'know? 'Okona' looks like it should be pronounced aw-kone-ah. It's such a bad, skiffy trope to have characters called D'jawnn Psmyhythe and it's pronounced John Smith.
     
  3. Avon

    Avon Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 7, 2010
    Location:
    Avon
    i'd say skrain like rain. whoever that was.

    okona did bother me though
     
  4. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2001
    I thought the scripts had pronunciation guides. Perhaps I'm mistaken. I do recall the Vidiians were originally called the Vaphorans in the script, but it was redubbed because none of the actors could say "Vaphoran" the same way.

    "Any idiot"? Please, are insults necessary? Not everyone speaks English as a first language. In fact, most of the world doesn't.

    Odd. I'd say the "-rain" endings being the same would indicate that they'd be pronounced the same. Y'know, being an idiot and all. If it was supposed to be "Skr-ine", they could've spelled it "Skrine". But that's just idiot me.

    I'm annoyed that some writers try too hard and fall flat in their attempt, but no, in general it doesn't annoy me. You imagine trying to transliterate a radically alien language into English.
     
  5. Avon

    Avon Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 7, 2010
    Location:
    Avon
    "the clouds are grey, it will rine soon."
     
  6. dub

    dub Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2012
    Location:
    Location? What is this?
    :rolleyes: Its gray, not grey. Any idiot would no that.
     
  7. Avon

    Avon Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 7, 2010
    Location:
    Avon
    can't tell if serious or not due to mispelled 'know'..... hmmmm

    and only foreign types spell it 'gray'
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2013
  8. Metryq

    Metryq Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2013
    There are transliteration conventions here on Earth, but that's no guarantee that spellings or pronunciations will be "accurate." For example, I've seen Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev spelled "Korolev", "Korolov", Korolyov" and "Korolyev"—the last two at least capturing the "ly" sound of Russian. I've seen similar variations in Romaji, the spelling of Japanese words with English characters. Despite the attempt at nailing down a convention, there are always variations. Consider just the variations in pronunciation of the same word in English under different regional accents.
     
  9. dub

    dub Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2012
    Location:
    Location? What is this?
    The whole thing was a joke. My failed attempt at dry humor. :vulcan:
     
  10. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2009
    Location:
    City of the Fallen Angels
    The rine in Spine sties minely on the pline!
     
  11. SchwEnt

    SchwEnt Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Wait wait wait... I want in, too... Quark.

    Most everyone else on DS9 pronounces it "qu-ARK" as in Noah's ARK.

    Odo pronounces it "qWARk", as in Dominion WAR, as if it's "qwOARk".

    Does it matter? Is there a difference? Does anyone else notice? Anyone care??
     
  12. dub

    dub Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2012
    Location:
    Location? What is this?
    I blame the universal translator.
     
  13. ZapBrannigan

    ZapBrannigan Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2013
    Location:
    New York State
    There's a little touch of that in TOS "Miri," where Michael J. Pollard's character is Jahn instead of John.
     
  14. Vieux Normand

    Vieux Normand Ensign Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2013
    At least twice in ST series, a character has had a father with a far cooler name.

    Kurn's adoptive father was the aristocratic-sounding "Lorg".

    Jumping over to Keeping Up With The Cardassians (AKA DS9), Quark had the more-striking "Keldar" for a father.

    I'd also argue that "Sarek" sounds a lot less like an electrical kitchen implement than "Spock", but the volume of resulting hate mail might overwhelm the site.
     
  15. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2009
    Location:
    City of the Fallen Angels
    When I first saw that episode, somehow I missed the episode title. I thought the name of Kim Darby's character was Mary, and she pronounced it funny.
     
  16. Captain McBain

    Captain McBain Captain Captain

    There's no reason to call people names. It's actually rather childish.
     
  17. Dal Rassak

    Dal Rassak Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2013
    Location:
    Terok Nor
    ...I wasn't calling any of you lot an idiot! It was a general remark... my but people are quick to take offence.
     
  18. Dal Rassak

    Dal Rassak Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2013
    Location:
    Terok Nor
    I wasn't insulting anyone who doesn't speak English as a first language either!
    But the writers and producers are certainly first-language speakers.
    And it doesn't make sense to invent names with spelling that would suggest an "un-English", i.e. more unfamiliar-sounding pronunciation - which would sort of be the point in the case of "aliens" - and then have the actors say them as though they were American English. That all I was saying!
     
  19. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Location:
    I said out, dammit!
    Says you!! :p
     
  20. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Location:
    I said out, dammit!
    And what do you mean by THAT!?!? :klingon:







    ;)