Hi
the title pretty much says it all.
how do you pronounce Aaqa?
i can't get it to roll of the tongue.
cheers Phil
I say A-ka -- both a's are pronounced as in father and the first syllable is strongly accented.
Of course, there's no established pronunciation, and the exotic spelling let's you dream up anything you want.
Jack
ahk-ah
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Taking my cue from the old pronounciation key for aarakocra (a-araq-o-kra) and aasimar (a-az-e-marr), I've been saying Aaqa as A-ache-a.
Using that same logic I would hazard that "vaati" is "vay-ought-ee", but the Monstrous Compendium-style entry for Vaati in Rod of Seven Parts states "VAH-tee".
Indeed, so "Aaqa" may very well be "AH-ka".
Toe-may-toe, toe-ma-toe, it's all the same. ::grin:: Does "drow" rhyme with "cow" or "row"? As long as we all know what we're talking about in our games, verbally, we can all read the words "Aaqa", "Vaati", or "cairn" however we want.
I was under the impression that most "double a's" have the following pronounciation rule:
The first "a" is a long sound such as the "ay" in "PAY" or "DAY."
The second has a short sound like "A" in "BACH."
Therefore I pronounced it "ay-OCK'-ah."
I was under the impression that most "double a's" have the following pronounciation rule:
The first "a" is a long sound such as the "ay" in "PAY" or "DAY."
The second has a short sound like "A" in "BACH."
Therefore I pronounced it "ay-OCK'-ah."
This is the pronunciation I went with, but as has been stated, whatever works for you and is easiest to roll off the tongue, go for it. That's why fantasy games are so great; we can make-up/change the rules as we go!
I agree with Timault. I pronounce it A-ah-KAY.
Pronounciations can be frustrating. It should be a golden rule to provide a pronounciation in parenthesis after the first mentioning of a name or term that doesn't exist in the dictionary. The same should be done for stat blocks and NPC write-ups.
In my blissful ignorance, I pronouce(d) it aa-qua.
:-)
WaterdhavianFlapjack
Let us not dismiss Baatezu where it is pronounced Bay-Ah-Teh-Zoo. Two a's: first is ay second is ah. I would still saw Ah-kah though. And for Aasimar I say as-sim-ar. (I can't do a and two s's or it'll probably censor me. heheh)
See, this is why I went to figure out how to add dictionaries to OS X's Dictionary app and subsequently make a D&D dictionary with pronunciations. I can start contacting developers and authors and learn how they intended for it to be pronounced... Oh, dreaming sure is fun.
In my blissful ignorance, I pronouce(d) it aa-qua.
:-)
WaterdhavianFlapjack
I do the same.
rooster
In my blissful ignorance, I pronouce(d) it aa-qua.
:-)
WaterdhavianFlapjack
I do the same.
rooster
Yeah, me, too--to heel with all the pretentious crap. And I pronounce baatezu as "devil."
Always pronounced it ahh-KAW. Primarily because Lake Aqal seemed to make the most sense as AHH-Kall.
I am sure realistically these are pronounced in game differently depending on what sages the adventurers consult so there really isn't a wrong answer.
Indeed, so "Aaqa" may very well be "AH-ka".
Toe-may-toe, toe-ma-toe, it's all the same. ::grin:: Does "drow" rhyme with "cow" or "row"?
I pronounce it "AH-ka", myself.
And, by the way, "drow" rhymes with "bow". ;)
I say Ay-ka, but the real thing here to remember is that, no matter how much your high school grammer teachers told you there were, there are NO rules in English. Just some common ways of speaking that most people are kind enough to oblige by so we can understand each other. The "rules" English majors try to uphold are merely a joke thought up centuries ago just for the sake of seeing if anyone would listen.
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The "rules" English majors try to uphold are merely a joke thought up centuries ago just for the sake of seeing if anyone would listen.
Ah, kinda like the 3.5 "revisions" to the 3.0 D&D rules. Except here it's the mighty currency that is speaking volumes, literally.
Bow as in the shooting weapon, or bow as in the front of a ship? ;-)
That was the joke. Let me oblidge with a rimshot. ::rimshot::
Honestly, I'm surprised someone hasn't admitted to disregarding "Aaqa" entirely and just calling them the "Wind Dukes from a place far, far away".
So thus far we've had:
"ah-Ka"
"A-ahk-ah"
"A-ache-ah"
"A-ka"
"ah-qua"
"A-qua"
::applauds:: Everyone is right! Woo-hoo. Damn English language. ::wink::
And, by the way, "drow" rhymes with "bow". ;)
I've always rhymed drow with cow.
I also often pronouce kobold as "kuhBOLD," not "CO-bold" (though it's often harder to be bold alone), and gnoll as "nawl," "nol."
I've always rhymed drow with cow.
I also often pronouce kobold as "kuhBOLD," not "CO-bold" (though it's often harder to be bold alone), and gnoll as "nawl," "nol."
And, on that note, I say Kobold as CO-Bald, Gnoll as in knoll, Centaur as SEN-Tar, Chimera is CHI-meh-rah (not KEE-meh-rah or KAI-meh-rah), and Dwarf as Drunk Midget Scottsman.
(But I do say Drow in the same way as Cow.)
PS: English having no rules is what makes it one of the hardest languages to learn. Oh, sure, Finnish has a 13-case case structure, and Chinese has thousands of characters and is tonal... But English is based off a Germanic grammatical structure, with a predominantly Latin vocabulary, and tons of influence from Romance languages, other Germanic languages, and more. Joy... No wonder we English-speaking folk have so much trouble agreeing on things. (Wait... Do non-English speaking folk agree more often?)
PS: English having no rules is what makes it one of the hardest languages to learn. Oh, sure, Finnish has a 13-case case structure, and Chinese has thousands of characters and is tonal... But English is based off a Germanic grammatical structure, with a predominantly Latin vocabulary, and tons of influence from Romance languages, other Germanic languages, and more. Joy... No wonder we English-speaking folk have so much trouble agreeing on things. (Wait... Do non-English speaking folk agree more often?)
"What about this word?" "Sure, throw it in Webster's, too!"
English: The only language where anything can be any part of speech you want it to be.
English: The only language where anything can be any part of speech you want it to be.
Ah, true. Like the infamous f-word which seriously can be used as the only word(s) in a sentance and somehow people will have a chance of understanding you.
And we have stuff like "Go." One word sentances that are by all means correct. (The subject being spoken to or about is inferred, such as "You go," or "I go,".)
Mine-oh-tore
0r
mIN-a-tore?
I flip-flop on the pronunciation of 'drow' every time I use it. :bagoverhead: For best results, use 'dark elf'.
Whatever way I (the DM) pronounce 'Aaqa' is correct.
Mine-oh-tore
0r
mIN-a-tore?
"XP on the hoof"
If you're familiar with A Fish Called Wanda: the scene where John Cleese's character is trying to get Michael Palin's character to say "Cathcart Towers Hotel".
Cleese: Try singing it....
Palin: The...Caaa.... The CAAA...
Cleese: No rush...
Palin: The CAAA....
So I always sing it "a-Kaa".
http://tinyurl.com/8jt4l