Sci-fi pronunciation? :)

[superjedi]

OK, this is completely random, but sometimes when I'm reading about props and other sci-fi stuff, I'll see a word and just read it without really considering how to pronounce it. Then, if I'm trying to explain something to my wife or friends, I think, "OK. . . so how do you actually say that word??"

One example that comes to mind is GRAFLEX. Is it pronounced like "Gray-flex" or more like "Graph-lex"?

Any other examples out there?

 

[Darasuum Verd]

I pronounce Graflex "Gray-flex"


-Naas (is pronounced "Nahs")

 

[Bountyone]

Well how about Boba Fett??? I hear so many people pronounce it "Bawba-Fett" and others say "Bowba-Fett" I hear what your saying Eric and sorry for my stupid example, it was the first thing that popped into my head.

 

[superjedi]

OK, there's 1 vote for "Gray-flex."

I know what you mean, Ben. It's like when people say "Bubba Fett" it just makes me grind my teeth and my eyelid starts twitching. . .
But those kinds of things, like character or place names, are pretty much established when someone says them in a film or TV show. It's the other stuff that I'm talking about.
The stuff that "prop geeks" would talk about. . . if we ever actually had human contact.

 

[stormtrooperguy]

i'm on the graph-lex side of the infamous flash. boba fett's easy - that's said out loud in the movies

 

[MandoMan]

i'm on the graph-lex side of the infamous flash.

Yep, me too. "Gray-flex" never even crossed my mind as a possible pronunciation. You people are weird.

 

[Bountyone]

"boba fett's easy - that's said out loud in the movies"


well being from England, I hear it pronounced both ways. I guess it's the ol' "you say tomato's, I say tama.....ahhh, the hell with it!

 

[Rich D]

I'm pretty sure it's pronounced graph-lex. The company's early camera product line had the word "graphic" in the name, and the "flex" part more than likely refers to the collapsibility of the cameras (like an accordion).

The camera collectors I've known pronounced it graph-lex.

 

[superjedi]

"Well it's spelt 'Raymond Luxury Yacht' but it's pronounced 'Throat Wobbler Mangrove.'




Sorry, old Monty Python reference.

 

[Mojo Fett]

"Well it's spelt 'Raymond Luxury Yacht' but it's pronounced 'Throat Wobbler Mangrove.'




Sorry, old Monty Python reference.

Pricless.... lol:

I'm on the 'graph-lex' side...

 

[Alcfalath]

For Boba Fett Pronunciation, and articulation of his name.... Return of the Jedi, Han Solo ion the skiff over the Sarlacc...

"Bob-ah Fett... where?" Han Solo...

Forcepike hits jet pack

"What the... "

Emegergency Jet Pack controls are ignited sending Boba Fett flying into Jabba's Barge screaming like a little girl... gotta love the Wilhelm scream

 

[Sarim Thiri]

Being non-native english speaker, I tend to use my own language's pronounciation, unless I have the correct in front of me (such as boba fett).

Graflex, well I would think it would be "Graph-leks".

 

[Murphoid]

I'm on the "graphlex" side of things. And what about "Sabaac"?

 

[hellopike]

Its Graf-lex. As Count Dookie said, its how Photographers pronounce it.

 

[jodo]

Ja, I vote Graph-leks as well.

Saa-back...Se-bac...Seba-ac...I don't know.

 

[ioelus]

This is interesting, Superjedi. I've never thought about it, but I do the exact same thing as you--I only tend to worry about how to pronounce the word if I have to say it out loud. I was happy to see that one of the Republic Commando books had a glossary in the back, with pronunciation guide. It was the first time I pronounced "Atin" properly.

Part of the problem, I think, is that we pronounce most vowels differently in America than most other languages in the world. Our vowels: ay, ee, ai (eye), oh, yu. Others: ah, eh, ee, oh, oo. Many other language speakers would see a word like "hat" in English and pronounce it like "hot." My point is that in sci-fi fiction, authors who develop new languages very often have experience speaking foreign languages and apply that knowledge to their syntax and their spelling (except for George Lucas, who seems to fiddle around with every rule there is: Dooku). It often helps me with pronunciation to apply foreign language vowel sounds to sci-fi spellings.

 

[hansoloway]

OK...how about Han Solo.

Harrison Ford said Han rhyming with "on"

Billy Dee comes to mind as pronouncing it rhyming with "Ann"

Personally, I go with Ford.

 

[Rich D]

I don't worry about the pronunciation much. I'll never satisfactorily pronounce Han, Coruscant, Kashyyyk, Ponda Baba, Padme, Dooku, Alderaan, Palpatine, Nien Nunb, Naboo, Qui-Gon, or anything in Mandalorian for every conversation.

 

[MandalorFett]

Well, if you're George Lucas, you would purposely say the vowels in a different pronunciation so as to say it differently than everyone one else in the world. (Ever noticed that before?)

To answer the question of the thread though, it's an East Coast, West Coast thing.

 

[carbonitekid]

Is Leia pronounced Lee-ah or lay-ah?

My wife and I pronounce it as the latter with regards to our daughter.