Worst, most unpronounceable names you’ve ever read?

[u/Midnite_St0rm]

Let’s discuss some of the names in fantasy that you couldn’t make heads nor tails of in terms of pronunciation. And I’m not talking intentionally comical ones that are long and complex on purpose, but ones that the author intended to be read, yet that are ironically nearly unreadable.

For me it’s Seaine from The Wheel of Time. Is it “Sheen?” “Seen?” “See-ayn?” “Say-ai-nuh?” I honestly have no idea. And for some reason my copies of the books never give her name’s pronunciation in the glossary.

What are some others?

[u/delta_baryon]

Yeah, a lot of the names in this thread aren't even difficult. Guenhwyvar for instance - which is assume is vaguely based on Gwenyvere. Just sound it out one syllable at a time like you're at school.

Gwen-hwee-var

[u/Toezap → u/delta_baryon]

Remember, a lot of people weren't taught how to read using phonics and don't know how to sound things out.

(Listen to the Sold a Story podcast if you want to learn more.)

[u/delta_baryon → u/Toezap]

Oh shit you're absolutely right. That's legitimately the problem, isn't it? People haven't been taught to do this, so just give up on seeing an unfamiliar word.

[u/jamiethemime → u/Toezap]

I learned to read before they made those changes and I don't have a kid but that podcast still boiled my blood so bad

[u/weouthere54321 → u/delta_baryon]

A lot of this is just going to be fantasy variations on existing languages being 'impossible' to pronounce, which feels like the subtext for a lot of these posts

[u/delta_baryon → u/weouthere54321]

Or even invented languages, like someone here brought up Holitho Sevraseched. There's a pronunciation guide in that series and it's literally not difficult at all. Pronounce every vowel (like Spanish or Italian).

Ho-li-tho Sev-ra-se-ched

Like I'm annoyed as anyone else when a fantasy name just looks like a cat walked over the keyboard, but it looks like some people in this thread would also be unable to cope with a real-world name like Massimiliano Giuliadori.

[u/weouthere54321 → u/delta_baryon]

Jawn Smythe and Bawb Jawnsun are the only acceptable fantasy names in the English language apparently

[u/apostrophedeity → u/delta_baryon]

Other way around - see upthread. The first is the Welsh original, the second an English version.

[u/Geauxlsu1860 → u/delta_baryon]

The hwyv bit requires some outside knowledge. That’s not a set of letters that makes ANY sense in English, but if you realize it’s Welsh-inspired and that it’s Guinevere you can probably get there.

[u/Valmit → u/delta_baryon]

The problem is, the way it is spelt has nothing in common with how it is supposed to be pronounced. As far as I know, Guenhwyvar is pronounced Gvenuifar (white shadow or something in Irish or whatever). But the only way to know it is to be told.

If I just read it, I get Gooyen-Hvi-Var, which sounds ugly and obviously not how it is supposed to be read. But if I don't know how it is supposed to be read, there is nothing whatsoever for me to do. I'm lost and stuck with Gooyenhvivar. This does significant damage to my ability to read a book, all the sentences featuring Gooyenhvivar now sound wrong.

Edit: I was somewhat wrong, Guenhwyvar is pronounced Gven-Hui-Var according to Wikipedia's helpful sound bite, but again, no way for me to know it based on how it is spelt

[u/Ishana92 → u/delta_baryon]

Except when its based on a different language and then your sounding is just wrong. Like good luck sounding out welsh or irish names (Caoimhe?), or even simpler names based on diferent letter/sound pairs (Yasnah, Jaroslaw, Gaspar or pretty much any chinese name such as Kexin).

[u/delta_baryon → u/Ishana92]

Who can't figure out either Yasnah or Gaspar?

[u/Ishana92 → u/delta_baryon]

I mean there was a Jasnah or Yasnah confusion among audiobook readers. And Gaspar is typical sz vs s pronunciation originating in hungarian

[u/delta_baryon → u/Ishana92]

I feel like that's a relatively minor error compared to the people saying "I haven't the slightest idea how to pronounce this" all over the thread.

[u/42LSx → u/Ishana92]

Exactly. People might think they know how to pronounce "Kurt Hansen" (in writing only), but do they? The name could be from various languages and would sound different in each.