HP Pronunciations

[Digger]

Does anyone else have trouble deciding how to pronounce some HP names and words? Thanx to the films, I've now got "accio" sussed (although I think ak-see-oh sounds much better than akk-i-o!!). There are loads of others, but........the only one I can't fathom at all is:-

Rufus Scrimgeour??!!! Help. Yes, I know roo-fuss, but the surname? How are other people saying it? Or has JK ever said? Thanks folks. Not long to wait now!!!!

[Leisha]

I used to say A-see-oh! Then a played the game and suddenly it all became clear...
As to the man's name, I call him Skrim-mun-jer, though I know that's nothing like the spelling! Perhaps he's Skrim-juur?

Yes, the names are pretty stranger, aren't they?

[Joel007]

Scrim-jee-or would make sense, although with language only the inventor of the word know which of the millions of possible variations it would be.

[Crazihors]

I always pronounced it Scrimj-our, and I do actually think that ak-see-o sounds better

[PTeppic]

Like the dozens of "goa'uld" pronunciations in Stargate, I'd imagine there are slight variations in "accio" (though in retrospect that may prevent the charm from working). As for someone's name, unless the character themselves specify, even other characters may differ...

[Melanie Nilles]

It should be pronounced according to whatever nationality the name belongs to. For instance, a word like accio, being similar to latin, the basis for Italian, I would have thought would be pronounced like ahch-chee-oh, not ahck-kee-oh (as in the movies). In Italian, an "i" after a "c" turns it into the "chee" pronounciation, where an "h" after a "c" but before the "i" (chi) turns it into the hard sound like "k" and would actually be pronounce as kee. Now there's a lesson for you, ladies and gentleman! (Remember, when you go out to that nice Italian restaurant, it's not bruu-shet-tah, it's bruu-sket-ta).

So, depending on what nationality the name is, I would pronounce it according to the rules for that language.

But what do I know? It's JKR's world.

[pyan]

I was at school with a chap with this name - he pronounced it Scrim-jer.
They're a rather posh Scottish clan family, the head of which is the Earl of Dundee.

[Joel007]

I always read accio as ass-ee-oh (as in the italian)

[Melanie Nilles]

Originally Posted by Joel007

I always read accio as ass-ee-oh (as in the italian)

If it were italian, it would be as I said above. What does she use for her spells? Is it actual latin or is it a slight deviation of latin?

back to the topic. I was thinking about this particular name after being online earlier and wondered-what kind of name is it?

[Joel007]

I think Rowling tends toward Aramaic for the spells. Although I'm sure she just makes some of them up

[Adasunshine]

I always and still do see accio as atchio... I pay no attention to what they say in the films as for Scrimgeour, I always think of it as Scrim-gur

Each to their own as they say, each to their own...

xx

[Majimaune]

I say things my own way, well after reading the Redwall series of books with all the 'mole-speek' in it I got used to saying stuff my way...and guessing.

I always said accio (and still do, stuff the films) ass-ee-oh, same as Joel. Scrimgeour is just Scrim-ge-our for me. I just say it phenetically.

[Crazihors]

She does actually use latin for her spells, which i know because i do latin, and JKR does help quite a bit on the front in translations. Sometimes she changes them a bit, like knox for the cut off spell for lumos. nox means night in latin and lumos means light. i know she got avada kedavra from aramaic, though - 'let the thing be destroyed!'