What did you call that? -- The great SOW debate

The interesting thing about an online, chat type of game like Everquest is that, while we are all immersed in the game and get to know the terminology of the game intimately, we never actually get to hear the names pronounced. Of course, as all the hooked on phonics folks will tell you, even though we are just reading, we are still sounding out the words in our heads. This leads to an interesting, and rather fun clash when a group of Everquest players finally get together in person to discuss their game. Everyone is convinced that the way they pronounce a name or place or phrase is the right way. The most divided phrase in the game seems to be the most popular as well. When you are shouting for a SOW, are you asking for something that rhymes with Cow or with Tow? Personally, I have always rhymed it with cow. But to my surprise there are a whole load of obviously uninformed people who rhyme it with tow. Go figure. This one debate has practically caused fist fights at the various fan faires. Other common words also can sound quite odd when you hear others speak them. There may be only 120 or so zones (I lost count), but there are probably a thousand different pronounciations of them. Go ahead and ask your friends how they pronounce such zones as Guk (I personally rhyme it with "luck" but others rhyme it with "luke"), Feerrott, Kelethin, Toxxulia (try changing the emphasis on the syllables and see how the whole word changes), and just about every zone in Kunark (are you really sure you are pronouncing Charasis correctly?). Sounds wierd doesn't it? It gets even worse when you start to talk about monsters. Do you buy your items in Cabilis from "Cloaks" or "Clocks" or perhaps "Klucks"? And just try to pronounce anything you meet in the Rathe Mountains. Ankhefenmut? Ankhesenaten? Darfumpel Zrubbel? Zazamaharet? Zazaphenebti? There are plenty more like that. Just go through the list and you will find that, with the exception of the orcs, goblins, kobalds and other creatures from myth or literature, there are usually multiple ways you can pronounce each one. The NPC names are even worse. Does anyone really have any idea how to pronounce Lord Doljonijiarnimorinar? So, taking advantage of the ability to add comments to an article, I figured I would kick off the debate. Below are just a small sampling of words from the game and how I personally pronounce them. Feel free to tell me how wrong I really am.
  • SOW -- Why just like Cow of course.
  • Guk -- Rhymes with "luck"
  • Tizmak -- First syllable rhymes with Wiz, second like Mack.
  • Klok -- "Clock" of course.
  • Kaesora -- "Kay" + "sore" + "uh". Emphasis on second syllable
  • Damask -- Sort of like "The Mask"
  • Sebilis -- First Syllable rhymes with Deb, then "ill" + "iss" with the emphasis on the first syllable.
  • Innoruuk -- "In" + "or" + "ook" as in "look"
  • Teir'Dal -- "Tear" (as in crying) + "Doll"
  • Feerrott -- "Fear" + "Rot"
  • Kael Drakkal -- "Kale" + "drack" + "all"
  • Cabilis -- "Cab" + "eel" + "iss". emphasis on the second syllable.
  • Ry'Gorr -- "Rye" + "Gore"
  • Rathe -- like "wrath"
  • Ankhefenmut -- ank as in "hank" + "uh" + fen as in "pen" + Mutt as in a dog with the emphasis on the first and third syllable.
  • Luclin -- I used to pronounce this "Loose"lin, but was told by the folks at Sony that they pronounce it "Luck"lin. Amazing how they can mispronounce their own game isn't it?
  • Drakkel -- "drack" + "ill". Emphasis on the first syllable.
  • Ulthork -- Ull as in "pull" + thork as in "fork". Emphasis on the first syllable.
  • Rowyl -- Rhymes with "Howl"
  • Froglok -- "frog" plus "lock". How else?
  • Solusek -- Sol as in "Doll" plus "loose" plus sek as in "wreck". Emphasis on the second syllable.
  • Well, you get the picture. Feel free to add in your own interpretation of these and other common words. Who knows, maybe we will all start to speak the same language after a while.

    Comments

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    qeynos
    # Sep 18 2003 at 11:20 AM Rating: Default
    to hear Qeynos pronounced correctly, record the words Sony EQ, then play it backwards....

    I actually call it Quay nos (Quay is in the English word that sounds like key, nos as in nostril)
    Higo
    # Apr 23 2003 at 3:17 PM Rating: Default
    I´m only reading this cuz I can´t connect to EQ. Dunno, seems amazing, but I prefer playing. I´m spanish and I pronunce everything as if the words were in my idiom, I don´t care too much because I never have to speak about, only writing. If U care, well for U, but I´m wishing to play lol
    Luclin
    # Feb 11 2003 at 11:39 AM Rating: Good
    I always pronounced Luclin as LUKE-lin. I don't know, it just sounds better.
    french?!
    # Jan 14 2003 at 7:20 PM Rating: Default
    ummmm.... aren't we talking about ogres here though? they haven't been that civilized since they were dwelling in the plane of war with rallos himself... :D
    SoW = Mow and Bow
    # Dec 16 2002 at 3:46 PM Rating: Decent
    my pronunciations;

    SoW = mow, as in mow the grass, or bow, as in bow and arrow. Maybe you eat too much beef.

    Feerott = fur-root.

    Guk = luck or puck.

    For a while I read Luclin as loose-lin. Then I bought the expansion, and took a closer look, and now pronounce it luck-lin.

    Also I added an extra O in Froglok for a while, calling it Frog-O-lok. Then corrected my self while hunting for my Mask of Deception.

    I cut Solusek a little short I guess pronouncing it Sole-you-seck.
    RE
    # Dec 03 2002 at 4:28 PM Rating: Decent
    How do you say "pwnz" IRL? ;/

    Khaann Dae'Lach
    Tier'Dal Reaver of Innoruuk
    Tholuxe Paells

    Cmon now
    # Nov 09 2002 at 6:48 PM Rating: Default
    Ok...one of the 2 i have a quarem over...SoW is pronounced the same as cow in my head, but it still remains an acronym. S.o.W. Thats how it should be thought of as. As for Luclin, the verant jarheads may pronounce it Luck-lin, i pronounce it as loose-lin. Easier to think/say. And just for laughs..for the longest time(nearly a year) RL friend pronounced cleric as sell-er-ick until i corrected him about 6 months ago. lol
    Jakkarel Darkhunter 45 Ranger
    ???????
    # Sep 18 2002 at 6:02 PM Rating: Default
    WHO CARES? just play the damn game and have fun!

    60th savagelord
    beastialblood
    server-you find out
    Najena
    # May 23 2002 at 9:27 PM Rating: Decent
    is that Nah HAY na or is it Nah JEN ah ? I always went with the first one, but most of my hispanic friends say it the 2nd way. weird huh....


    Other Pron's
    # May 08 2002 at 5:53 PM Rating: Default
    Dorn B'Dynn = "meat"
    Puntar Sandfisher = "cannon-foder"
    the tunnel in EC = "lag HELL"
    AC = "takes for-EVER to pop"
    horses = "way to DAMN much"

    hehe, just having some fun

    Camilous of Rodcet Nife
    SoW?
    # May 08 2002 at 5:49 AM Rating: Decent
    Here is how I pronounce SoW, ahem:
    I have Selo's ***** you druid, lol!

    (jk to all you sensitive druids, love ya!)
    Luclin
    # Apr 22 2002 at 12:40 PM Rating: Default
    I ryme luclin with loon for a very good reason,

    first off, Luclin is the moon right? Loooclin sounds more like moon than lucklin, secondly, the word Lunus is often referred to as a moon in different books and movies , (SOME, not many,)

    just my 2 cents, id name others but im anxious to get back to AC camping.
    Feerrott?
    # Apr 07 2002 at 10:40 PM Rating: Default
    for the sake of the argument, just say whatever is easiest for you. i personally pronounce "feerrott" as a french word: "fee roe". why? it rolls off the tongue better. it's a matter of preference, not grammar/linguistics.

    Malboro
    Shaman of Prexus
    Pronunciations
    # Jan 29 2002 at 4:25 AM Rating: Default
    A lot of the way you pronounce things will depend upon your regional dialect, as well as whether English is your first language or not. As long as we all spell it roughly the same, our minds are gonna slip back into the sounds we each make in our speech, irregardless...

    Mandril
    Elphin Higherphat
    Cazic Thule
    Acronyms. . .
    # Dec 13 2001 at 12:28 AM Rating: Default
    . . .don not have an agreed upon pronounciation, so SOW, as in Spirit of Wolf can be pronounced anyway you like. Has anyone ever argued about how to pronounce ASAP, or ROFL? Drop it.
    the end
    # Dec 09 2001 at 12:39 PM Rating: Default
    sow = to sow (so) seeds a real word
    sow = sow ( as in cow) is a female pig

    the words are spelled the same but pronunced diffrently this know as a homynym i.e bow a weapon and bow the front of a ship. the correct pronuciation of sow is dependant on the context and since it is not a actuall word either is a valid form . rasgoth lv 16 monk mith marr
    Tomayto Tomahto
    # Dec 03 2001 at 9:31 PM Rating: Default
    My pronunciations

    SoW = ...well I've always called it a female pig but it should just be [ess oh double-u]
    Guk = (rhymes with "look")
    Innorruuk = [In or ruk] last syllable also rhymes with "look")
    Feerrott = [feer rot]
    Sebilis/Cabilis = [seh bih liss]/[kah bih liss] with 1st and 2nd syllables evenly accented
    Qeynos = [Key nos] ("nos" rhyming with "close" as an adjective not a verb)
    but in the English language Q's are always followed by a U. As far as I'm concerned, it's not a real word.
    Qeynos is SonyEQ backwards so I don't care how you pronounce it
    Paineel = [pain eel]
    Kerra = [care rah]

    * Druid = [drew id]
    * Necromancer = [neck roh man ser]
    * Cleric = [clair ick]
    * These three are actual words and the pronunciations can be looked up in a dictionary =)
    Tier'Dal = [tare dahl]
    Ulthork = [ull thork] "ull" as in "lull" (and tecnnically it has to be this way because we see "an ulthork" and we really wouldn't say "AN yool thork")

    I really didn't post this to prove anybody wrong. These are just what they sound like in my head. I'm actually really bored because the servers have been down all day in preparation for Luclin [luke lin] ;)

    the key is in the "o"
    # Dec 01 2001 at 11:31 AM Rating: Decent
    the key to proper pronouning of SoW is in the "o", short for "of", which the "o" makes the same sound as in the "o" of "Tow". Nuff said

    PS. Does this mean I'm gonna take a beatin now?

    Gayre
    13th Ranger
    A Roleplayer's View
    # Dec 01 2001 at 6:38 AM Rating: Default
    I try to stay in Roleplay mode as often as possible. So personally, I rarely use abbreviations or acronyms in my in-game conversation.
    It seems to me the acronyms used in EverQuest conversation are for typing convenience, not spoken brevity. They were not created with any intent of pronounciation.
    So I guess when I see SoW on the screen, I hear 'Spirit of Wolf'. It seems no less natural to me than to look at PLZ and hear 'please'.
    Of course, I live in rural New Hampshire, and do not discuss EverQuest often verbally, as I know few players. Were this the case, maybe I would find the phrase "Spirit of Wolf' too much of an imposition on my time.
    It's SoW like CoW because...
    # Nov 22 2001 at 4:04 PM Rating: Default
    It should be considered to rhyme with cow for the simple reason that Strength of Earth (another druid buff) is abbreviated S.O.E and must be pronounced to rhyme with toe. Therefore, to avoid confusion, I herebye pronounce that it be pronounced Sow, like cow.

    Abby (:
    RE: It's SoW like CoW because...
    # Dec 04 2001 at 1:15 PM Rating: Default
    What a buncha baloney! Spirit of Wolf is a SHAMAN spell being shamelesly plagiarized by alla you droods and wranglers out there. Who gives a whoey about yer Strength of Earth.
    RE: It's SoW like CoW because...
    # Dec 25 2001 at 5:54 PM Rating: Default
    No self respecting "drood" would plagiarize a shaman. Shamans don't even get wolf form, so don't go saying that we copied spirit of wolf from you bear huggers.

    abby :)
    SOW
    # Nov 02 2001 at 8:00 PM Rating: Good
    SoW (rhymes with CoW), SoW (rhymes with ToW) is like potato (poh TAY toh) potato (pah TA toh) or tomato (toh MAY toh) tomato (toh MA toh). There is more than one correct way to pronounce it. On the other hand Qeynos is pronounced KEY nose and KEY nose only. =)
    Just wait...
    # Nov 01 2001 at 12:38 PM Rating: Decent
    20 posts
    Well...you're ALL gonna be surprised when EQ 8 (or whichever...) comes out with NPC's that will converse with you...
    Go ask a Shaman from the Halas guild how to pronounce SoW! Or a Druid, I guess! :)And for the person who pronounces "Quay" as kay...not in England, my friend...it is key...so Qeynos is "Keynoss" in my head...of course, even in my little island (England) there are many different accents and local dialects...so I may be wrong there too!
    While I play, I tend to speak via RogerWilco to 2 RL friends who come from different areas...we seem to agree on most pronounciations...try hooking up RW sometime...it IS free...:)
    SoW
    # Oct 27 2001 at 5:36 AM Rating: Default
    Surely SoW should be pronounced the way sow is when refering to spreading seeds and therefore by like tow. It makes sense to keep pronunciations the same as words that already exist but just have a different meaning at present.
    RE: SoW
    # Nov 14 2001 at 9:10 PM Rating: Decent
    Hmmmm.... your arguement would be correct except for the fact that a female pig is also a sow and it rhymes with cow.
    Arcanite
    # Oct 15 2001 at 9:26 PM Rating: Default
    Sorry bout that guys. Accidently hit enter. Anywho....here is what I say.

    SOW - When you get hurt....don't you say OW? not OH. So just put a S in front of it...Boom SOW (As in Cow)

    Qeynos - I use to say K-uns. But its K-nose....But....aren't Q's suppose to have U's after them?

    What about the classes?

    Necromancer - Nec-ro-man-ser

    Druid - Drood

    Paladin - Pal-a-din

    Cleric - Clear-ik

    So thats all I can think of. Care to argue with me? Heh

    Arcanite [Thats Arc-a-night] 51 gnome Necromancer

    ~WTF are you talking about woman?! I'll do whatever the hell I want, when I want!~
    Arcanite 51 gnome Necro Rodcet nife
    # Oct 15 2001 at 9:19 PM Rating: Default
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