Guild Wars 2

I don’t know how this became the convention, but it isn’t right. This is similar to the “shaman” vs. “shamans” issue from WoW (“shamans” is correct).

I’m just sayin’

Both ways are correct infact…

PearlGore.7419:

Both ways are correct infact…

I realize there’s such a thing as ‘linguistic drift’ and that right and wrong are always a bit nebulous and subjective with language…..

but nah, not really.

So, why would your way of saying be more correct?
Why assume that everyone in Tyria would speak with lets say an american accent?

Divine-itys Reach.

Colour is also spelt with a ‘U’.
Wrath is pronounced ‘rof’.
etc.

Every one does things differently. Deal with it.

lordkrall.7241:

So, why would your way of saying be more correct?
Why assume that everyone in Tyria would speak with lets say an american accent?

I don’t need to assume, they in fact do speak with an American accent.

Einlanzer.1627:

I don’t need to assume, they in fact do speak with an American accent.

It was an example and no, not everyone in the game speaks with an american accent.
My point being that just because YOU pronounce something in one way does not make the other ways wrong.

lordkrall.7241:

Einlanzer.1627:

I don’t need to assume, they in fact do speak with an American accent.

It was an example and no, not everyone in the game speaks with an american accent.
My point being that just because YOU pronounce something in one way does not make the other ways wrong.

This is not correct, strictly speaking. Rules for a particular language have concrete definitions, even if there’s a lot of regional variation in practice and the rules tend to change over time.

Consequently, there is an official pronunciation for this word, and that pronunciation is “Goh-lem”.

Lol. Official? According to who? Gimme links, I love reading about this sort if stuff.

And so what!

Einlanzer.1627:

This is not correct, strictly speaking. Rules for a particular language have concrete definitions, even if there’s a lot of regional variation in practice and the rules tend to change over time.

Consequently, there is an official pronunciation for this word, and that pronunciation is “Goh-lem”.

So an australian guy must pronounce things exactly the same was as a canadian or he is pronouncing it wrong?
Who is to decide which version is the correct version then?

zenleto.6179:

Lol. Official? According to who? Gimme links, I love reading about this sort if stuff.

And so what!

Several up to date dictionaries, actually.

And most of the things Asura say are nonsense anyway. It’s annoying, much like the rest of the race and their techno-babble, so one shouldn’t take it seriously.

Poo – Tah – Toe !

I’m pretty sure it was Ghoul-em

lordkrall.7241:

Einlanzer.1627:

This is not correct, strictly speaking. Rules for a particular language have concrete definitions, even if there’s a lot of regional variation in practice and the rules tend to change over time.

Consequently, there is an official pronunciation for this word, and that pronunciation is “Goh-lem”.

So an australian guy must pronounce things exactly the same was as a canadian or he is pronouncing it wrong?
Who is to decide which version is the correct version then?

An Australian uses the Queen’s English, not American English, but the rules aren’t too different. There is a very clear and obvious “correct” pronunciation to this word based on known grammar rules of the English language, and that pronunciation is “goh-lem”.

It’s really quite similar to the whole “mis-che-vus” vs. “mis-chee-vee-us” thing. While both are close enough to be discernable, only one is really correct. Arguing otherwise is silly.

Also, it’s pretty clear that the reason this has happened recently is because of the character “Gollum” from Lord of the Rings. The spelling, and thus the phonetics, are entirely different.

Einlanzer.1627:

lordkrall.7241:

Einlanzer.1627:

I don’t need to assume, they in fact do speak with an American accent.

It was an example and no, not everyone in the game speaks with an american accent.
My point being that just because YOU pronounce something in one way does not make the other ways wrong.

This is not correct, strictly speaking. Rules for a particular language have concrete definitions, even if there’s a lot of regional variation in practice and the rules tend to change over time.

Consequently, there is an official pronunciation for this word, and that pronunciation is “Goh-lem”.

Yeah, like in England people from London and people from Birmingham pronounce words the same? Or in America, people from Texas and people from Washington pronaounce words the same? But hey, they are speaking the same language so maybe the government should throw them in prison for non-comformity.

All my life, I thought it was “goh-lem”, like the pokemon Golem. But I never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else. Everywhere else I hear “gaul-em” like LotR’s Gollum.

pricer.5091:

Einlanzer.1627:

lordkrall.7241:

Einlanzer.1627:

I don’t need to assume, they in fact do speak with an American accent.

It was an example and no, not everyone in the game speaks with an american accent.
My point being that just because YOU pronounce something in one way does not make the other ways wrong.

This is not correct, strictly speaking. Rules for a particular language have concrete definitions, even if there’s a lot of regional variation in practice and the rules tend to change over time.

Consequently, there is an official pronunciation for this word, and that pronunciation is “Goh-lem”.

Yeah, like in England people from London and people from Birmingham pronounce words the same? Or in America, people from Texas and people from Washington pronaounce words the same? But hey, they are speaking the same language so maybe the government should throw them in prison for non-comformity.

They do usually (particular inflations and drawls that don’t really change pronunciation of the word don’t count), and in cases where they don’t one is usually right and the other is usually wrong. I.e. “mis-che-vus” and “mis-chee-vee-us”.

You guys don’t know what you’re talking about, sorry.

Curo.2483:

All my life, I thought it was “goh-lem”, like the pokemon Golem. But I never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else. Everywhere else I hear “gaul-em” like LotR’s Gollum.

No, the only two sources I can think of that pronounce it that way are this game and Dragon Age, both of which are recent. Pronouncing "gaul-lem’ is a recent trend that almost certainly originated from the Lord of the Rings movies and the creature Gollum.

It is actually Golem as in go to sound like “go away”…not the way that this game uses it. But hey, who cares right?

Einlanzer.1627:

pricer.5091:

Einlanzer.1627:

lordkrall.7241:

Einlanzer.1627:

I don’t need to assume, they in fact do speak with an American accent.

It was an example and no, not everyone in the game speaks with an american accent.
My point being that just because YOU pronounce something in one way does not make the other ways wrong.

This is not correct, strictly speaking. Rules for a particular language have concrete definitions, even if there’s a lot of regional variation in practice and the rules tend to change over time.

Consequently, there is an official pronunciation for this word, and that pronunciation is “Goh-lem”.

Yeah, like in England people from London and people from Birmingham pronounce words the same? Or in America, people from Texas and people from Washington pronaounce words the same? But hey, they are speaking the same language so maybe the government should throw them in prison for non-comformity.

They do usually (particular inflations and drawls that don’t really change pronunciation of the word don’t count), and in cases where they don’t one is usually right and the other is usually wrong. I.e. “mis-che-vus” and “mis-chee-vee-us”.

Queens English: Right – pronouced “rite”
Geordie English: Right – pronounced “reet”

Sorry, but you don’t know what you are talking about.

You are however right in this instance as Golem should not be pronounced “Gollum”.

But as above. Who cares reet? Yee Cannae be tha fashed ya now?

Einlanzer.1627:

Curo.2483:

All my life, I thought it was “goh-lem”, like the pokemon Golem. But I never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else. Everywhere else I hear “gaul-em” like LotR’s Gollum.

No

Thank you for correcting my actual life experiences. You must be some kind of guru. Silly me not knowing what I actually heard.

Actually, it isn’t all that recent. I am ancient and I have always heard it pronounced ‘gaul-lem’. But, truly, I could not care less whether people pronounce it a-lum-i-num or al-i-min-i-um. Lol.

BTW it’s “shamen”.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Actually, it isn’t all that recent. I am ancient and I have always heard it pronounced ‘gaul-lem’. But, truly, I could not care less whether people pronounce it a-lum-i-num or al-i-min-i-um. Lol.

I think this one is more a matter of spelling.

tolkien.6317:

BTW it’s “shamen”.

No, it’s not.

darkace.8925:

tolkien.6317:

BTW it’s “shamen”.

No, it’s not.

Hmm, very solid counter argument there. However, Google is your friend.

tolkien.6317:

darkace.8925:

tolkien.6317:

BTW it’s “shamen”.

No, it’s not.

Hmm, very solid counter argument there. However, Google is your friend.

I sadly don’t get the vibe you’re trolling. I wish you were, as it would be easy to write your post off and intended, but alas…

As per Google:

Shamans
shamans plural of sha·man
Noun
A person having access to, and influence in, the world of spirits, esp. among some peoples of northern Asia and North America.

Shamen
Did you mean: define: shaman

Did you want to try again?

Before you answer that allow me to point out the fact that my auto-correct highlights “shamen” as misspelled. No such occurrence happens with “shamans”. Also allow me to point out that you’re arguing with the freaking dictionary.

Now then, did you want to try again?

Dude, you are using American online dictionaries. Seriously? You’re from the US right?We can get into a link war if you want, but I was really just teasing the OP

BTW the etymology is really interesting – it basically comes down to a version of a word that means “weariness, exhaustion, fatigue”.

tolkien.6317:

BTW it’s “shamen”.

It’s spelled “shaman” but pronounced like “shamen”.

Curo.2483:

Einlanzer.1627:

Curo.2483:

All my life, I thought it was “goh-lem”, like the pokemon Golem. But I never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else. Everywhere else I hear “gaul-em” like LotR’s Gollum.

No

Thank you for correcting my actual life experiences. You must be some kind of guru. Silly me not knowing what I actually heard.

Lol I laughed at that too. It was all like “I grew up thinking Metroid was the guy you play because I never beat it. When I was 16, I actually found out she was a girl…” then he was like “No, Metroids were the alien creatures, Samus was always a girl, you were never 16 and you never grew up.” Lol okay…

…but yeah, why do people care? I’d sooner care if they went and Alt+F all mentions of ‘Golem’ in the game and replaced it with ‘Goughlim’ so that it could be however they want since it’s a funky spelling of a different word. I mean, what we see in game is actually a translation of New Krytan to English so that would could be whatever they want.

zenleto.6179:

Lol. Official? According to who? Gimme links, I love reading about this sort if stuff.

And so what!

Ask a rabbi how to pronounce “golem.”

Tinboy.7954:

tolkien.6317:

BTW it’s “shamen”.

It’s spelled “shaman” but pronounced like “shamen”.

No, it’s shaman for singular, shamans for plural. That’s it. Blizzard is wrong.

Curo.2483:

Einlanzer.1627:

Curo.2483:

All my life, I thought it was “goh-lem”, like the pokemon Golem. But I never heard it pronounced that way anywhere else. Everywhere else I hear “gaul-em” like LotR’s Gollum.

No

Thank you for correcting my actual life experiences. You must be some kind of guru. Silly me not knowing what I actually heard.

I didn’t actually mean it that way, sorry, what I was trying to say was that my experience was different. I always heard the proper “gho-lem” until a few years back. In fact, the first time I ever heard it like it’s pronounced in this game was in Dragon Age: Origins and I was like “lolwhut?”

tolunart.2095:

zenleto.6179:

Lol. Official? According to who? Gimme links, I love reading about this sort if stuff.

And so what!

Ask a rabbi how to pronounce “golem.”

Hah! I’ve already asked a Jewish friend to get back to me on an “official” pronunciation.

Hmmm, interesting. As a cultural anthropologist, I could go into the ways that absolute insistence on a certain pronunciation is a part of institutionalized racism/prejudice. That would take a really long time and probably get everyone way more riled up; I will instead just mention it in passing, while eating popcorn and watching people argue.

If people want to pronounce popcorn as papchorn, I have no problem with that at all. In fact, I will high-five you and pass the bowl.

I wish time travel was possible, just so that people from today could go back in time to meet George Washington. After an hour or so trying to communicate, both time traveller and G W will be yelling at each other “Speak ENGLISH!”

Sinikka.2794:

Hmmm, interesting. As a cultural anthropologist, I could go into the ways that absolute insistence on a certain pronunciation is a part of institutionalized racism/prejudice. That would take a really long time and probably get everyone way more riled up; I will instead just mention it in passing, while eating popcorn and watching people argue.

If people want to pronounce popcorn as papchorn, I have no problem with that at all. In fact, I will high-five you and pass the bowl.

Eh. The fact that you have no problem with someone blatantly mispronouncing a word does not make their mispronunciation correct. It really isn’t that subjective, or else we wouldn’t have grammar rules at all and wouldn’t be able to understand each other.

tolunart.2095:

I wish time travel was possible, just so that people from today could go back in time to meet George Washington. After an hour or so trying to communicate, both time traveller and G W will be yelling at each other “Speak ENGLISH!”

And then he’ll drop kick the time traveler in the head.

Don’t eff with GW…

Language is fluid. Always. Any language that isn’t is dead. Also, when you heard “gaul-em” were you somehow incredibly confused about what was being discussed? Or were you indeed fully aware that it was the same thing as “goh-lem”? In which case, you understood perfectly, which is in fact what happens all the time. If we were truly unable to understand each other, then no one would/could correct anyone.

Einlanzer.1627:

Eh. The fact that you have no problem with someone blatantly mispronouncing a word does not make their mispronunciation correct. It really isn’t that subjective, or else we wouldn’t have grammar rules at all and wouldn’t be able to understand each other.

Watch a guy from New England, a guy from the Midwest, and a guy from the South try to talk to each other. Then try to argue that there is a single “correct” way to pronounce every word in the English language.

It’s *go*lem. Thread over.

There is a way to pronounce something that makes it understood. When I am overseas and speaking with English as second and third language people, I speak very clearly and hit all my consonants and sound all my vowels. It makes it much easier (or even just possible) to be understood. Interestingly, many people as a result think I’m British instead of Australian. If I speak like an Aussie, few understand. That suggests to me that there are simple physical rules of pronunciation that make the language comprehensible, and these are tied into the physics of sound and our physiology, not scholastic tradition. This also, coincidentally, seems to correlate with how the language is spoken at its source i.e. England.

Anyone who has done any drama training already knows this. It’s bashed into you until it’s second nature. If you speak badly from the stage, the audience won’t understand you. This is just simple expedience, not preference for one form or another.

TL;DR Pronunciation matters, and there’s more often than not a reason the “traditional” version is the way it is based on the sound of vowels and consonants and the aural separation between them. In this sense language is not completely “dynamic”.

Fifty years ago, American broadcasters always pronounced the word to as ‘tew’. Today, more often than not, they say ‘ta’. (shrugs) Pronunciations change with time. We no longer speak Olde English.

I doubt making a thread about the pronunciation of a word in a game, or elsewhere for that matter, will amount ‘ta’ much. =)

Einlanzer.1627:

PearlGore.7419:

Both ways are correct infact…

I realize there’s such a thing as ‘linguistic drift’ and that right and wrong are always a bit nebulous and subjective with language…..

but nah, not really.

But yeah, really. Otherwise you are just another pedant that refuses to acknowledge the evolution of language. You aren’t speaking ye olde English after all.

P.S. My only beef with language change is when words are altered in their meaning to mean something we already have a perfectly adequate word for. That makes the language progressively poorer, and removes subtlety and graduation of meaning. A good example is the colloquial use of “wicked” to actually mean “great/fantastic” etc., though there are hundreds of examples. I’m looking at you America

Let’s be descriptive, not prescriptive.
Let’s describe the pronounciation through phonetics.
Vowels differ in vocalization using our vocal cords, so it’s not possible to have a “correct” pronounciation of them.

It’s obviously ‘’gawh-lawhm’’

/thread.

I think it is pronounced potato, great song goes with it too.

Language evolves, it changes, it flows … I think you’d really benefit from watching the following: (about 6 minutes long)