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Unlike [[w:J.R.R. Tolkien|J.R.R. Tolkien]], who provided detailed instructions for the pronunciation of the [[w:languages of Middle-earth|languages of Middle-earth]], [[George R.R. Martin]] has provided no canonical way of pronouncing Westerosi names, stating "You can pronounce it however you like."<ref>The Citadel. ''US Signing Tour'' (New York City, NY) November 15, 2005 [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2005/11/ So Spake Martin]</ref> However, it is possible to establish some guidelines.
The '''pronunciation''' of names in the [[Known World]] is variable. Unlike the academic [[w:J.R.R. Tolkien|J.R.R. Tolkien]], who claimed to have written ''The Lord of the Rings'' series ''primarily'' for the joy of fleshing out the [[w:languages of Middle-earth|invented languages of Middle Earth]],<ref>Peterson, Britt. "[http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/04/05/yes-writing-languages-for-game-thrones-real-job/4eyOZKW5EVL6Mt8qBQJ20L/story.html Yes, Writing Languages for 'Game of Thrones'<!--sic--> Is a Real Job". ''Boston Globe'', 6 Apr 2014. Accessed 2 May 2014.</ref> [[George R.R. Martin]] has stated that "I don't have his gift for languages"<ref>Amoka. "[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1250/ Yet More Questions]". ''The Citadel'', 22 July 2001. Accessed 1 May 2014.</ref> and, when asked about canonical pronunciations, replied that "you can pronounce it however you like."<ref>Nazfyratu. "[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2005/11/ US Signing Tour (New York City, NY)]". ''The Citadel'', 15 Nov 2005. Accessed 1 May 2014.</ref>


The pronunciation guide uses International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols. See [[w:IPA chart for English|IPA chart for English]] to learn about the symbols, and the [[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] article proper for the problems of displaying and entering them.
==Sources==
===Author===
[[George Raymond Richard Martin]] himself is an [[w:United States|American]] who was born to a family of mixed [[w:Italian-Americans|Italian]] and [[w:Irish-Americans|Irish]] ancestry and grew up in [[w:Bayonne, New Jersey]]. He attended college and university at [[w:Northwestern University|Northwestern]] in [[w:Evanston, Illinois|Evanston]], and now lives in [[w:Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], but his accent has been described as remaining a "gravelly New Jersey" one.<ref>Salter, Jessica. "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/9945808/Game-of-Thrones-Interview-with-George-RR-Martin.html Game of Thrones<!--No italics sic.-->: Interview with George RR<!--No periods sic.--> Martin". ''The Telegraph'', 25 Mar 2013. Accessed 2 May 2014.</ref>


==Guidelines==
He has himself opined, however, that English accents work better for fantasy: "It is full of castles and lords and swords and knights and all the other trappings we associate with England in [[w:United States|this country]]. It seems natural. It would be hard to do with a group of actors who had thick [[w:Southern English|Southern accents]]".<ref>Wheeler, Brian. "[http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17554816 Why Are Fantasy World Accents British?]" ''BBC News Magazine'', 30 Mar 2012. Accessed 2 May 2014.</ref>
{{Stub| Incomplete, Confusing and what with all those Guidelines?! I think this section should be reworked.}}
 
===Television Show===
Within the [[Game of Thrones|television show]], accents generally reflect the [[Portal:Geography|region]] and [[Feudalism|class]] of the [[list of Characters|characters]]. (A specific class-based difference noted within the show is that the lords themselves carefully enunciate "my lord" as two words whereas commoners slur them into a monosyllabic "m'lud".<ref>[[Tywin Lannister]] to [[Arya Stark]] in "[[A Man Without Honor|A Man without Honor]]".</ref>) [[Westeros]]i accents generally reflect those of [[w:Great Britain|Britain]], from [[w:Northern English|Northern]] among the [[First Men]] of [[the North]] and [[beyond the Wall]] to [[w:Welsh English|Welsh]] influence in the [[Vale]] to posh [[w:Received Pronunciation|RP]] accents among the [[Andals|Andal]] nobility and clergy of [[the Westerlands]] and [[Crownlands]]. [[Essos]]i comprises the rest of [[w:Eurasia|Eurasia]] and characters from its regions have spoken with [[w:Romance languages|Mediterranean]] ([[Braavos]]), [[w:Germanic languages|Germanic]] ([[Lorath]]), and loosely [[w:Arabic language|Arabic]] accents ([[Dothraki]]).<ref name=gawk/> The more peculiar accents of the [[Essos]]i characters reflect that the [[Common Tongue]] of the [[Andals]] (i.e., [[w:British English|English]]) is not their native language.<ref>[[Daenerys Targaryen|Daenerys]]'s request that leaders of her army begin learning the language is a minor plot point in "[[Oathkeeper (TV)|Oathkeeper]]".</ref>
 
These general differences have several notable exceptions among the [[list of actors of the televised series|actor]]s: [[Ned Stark]]'s children speak with southern accents while [[Samwell Tarly]] is [[w:Manchester, England|Mancunian]]. [[Asshai]] is nowhere near [[Lorath]] but [[Melisandre]] speaks with a [[w:Dutch language|Dutch]] accent.<ref name=gawk>Read, Max. "[http://gawker.com/what-is-going-on-with-the-accents-in-game-of-thrones-485816507 What Is Going on with the Accents in ''Game of Thrones''?]". ''Gawker'', 6 May 2013. Accessed 1 May 2014.</ref>
 
The show hired the linguist [[w:David J. Peterson|David J. Peterson]] to flesh out [[Essos]]'s [[Dothraki]] language.<ref name=khahlaysee>Martin, Denise. "[http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/game-of-thrones-dothraki-language-inventor.html Learn to Speak Dothraki and Valyrian from the Man who Invented Them for ''Game of Thrones'']". ''Vulture'', 24 Apr 2013. Accessed 1 May 2014.</ref> He then went on to create [[High Valyrian|Valyrian]] from only three phrases appearing in the books: ''dracarys'', ''valar morghulis'', and ''valar dohaeris''. He runs a blog detailing the grammar of the two languages<ref>Peterson, David. ''[http://www.dothraki.com Dothraki: A Language of Fire and Blood]''. Accessed 1 May 2014.</ref> and provides translations of (and audio files for) Martin's books and the actors' lines<ref>Tharoor, Ishaan. "[http://entertainment.time.com/2013/05/03/tongues-of-ice-and-fire-creating-the-languages-of-game-of-thrones/ Tongues of Ice and Fire: Creating the Languages in ''Game of Thrones'']". ''Time'', 3 May 2013. Accessed 2 May 2014.</ref> but his pronunciations are not necessarily canonical: showrunners opted against his pronunciation of ''khaleesi'', actors change phrasings and vocalizations, and editors clip sentences during post-production.<ref name=khahlaysee/>
 
===Audio Books===
All of the [[w:audiobook|audiobook]]s of the series have now been read by [[Roy Dotrice]], [[w:Order of the British Empire|OBE]], the British actor who played [[Hallyne]] the [[Alchemist's Guild|Pyromancer]] in [[Game of Thrones - Season 2|season 2]] of the [[Game of Thrones|television show]]. Owing to scheduling issues, ''[[A Feast for Crows]]'' was also initially read by [[John Lee]], who speaks an [[w:Irish English|Irish-tinged]] British English.<ref>[http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/narrators/john-lee/ Narrator Profile: John Lee]". ''AudioFile Magazine''. Accessed 2 May 2014.</ref>
 
==Guide==
For help understanding the pronunciations, see [[w:Help:IPA for English|IPA for English]]<ref>For further information on IPA, see Wikipedia's article on the [[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|]]. The IPA can be somewhat non-intuitive for native English-speakers, particularly since it uses [[w:Great Vowel Shift|continental values for its vowels]].</ref> and the [[w:WP:RESPELL|pronunciation respelling key]] at [[w:Main Page|Wikipedia]].<ref>For further information on respelling, see [[w:pronunciation respelling for English|]].</ref> For further information on dialectical differences, see [[w:IPA for English dialects|IPA for English dialects]].
 
The following abbreviations are employed:
 
* {{sc|grrm}}: [[George R.R. Martin]] (kindly provide sources for these)
* {{sc|got}}: the [[Game of Thrones|television show]]
* {{sc|djp}}: [[w:David J. Peterson|David J. Peterson]], the show's linguist
* {{sc|rd}}: the [[Roy Dotrice]] audio books
* {{sc|jl}}: the [[John Lee]] audio book of ''[[A Feast for Crows]]''


As with every good guide, we need a guide for the guide. Entries marked with:
* "GRRM", based on authorial chapter readings and question-and-answer sessions with George R.R. Martin.
* ("RD") and ("JL"), based on the [[w:audio book|audio book]] adaptations read by [[w:Roy Dotrice|Roy Dotrice]] ("RD") and John Lee ("JL").
* ("RH") indicates the Random House audio interview.<ref>Random House audio interview with GRRM.
[http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19019/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19019/GeorgeRRMartinInterview.mp3]</ref>
* ("FF") indicates the Fast Forward television interview.<ref>Fast Forward video interview with GRRM. [http://www.fast-forward.tv/archive/archive.htm]</ref>
* ("GoT") indicates [[Game of Thrones|the TV show]].
* Question marks (?) are probable pronunciations based on extrapolation from canonical pronunciations or from real-world sources.
===Characters===
===Characters===
{|
{|
|'''Areo Hotah'''  
|'''Areo Hotah'''  
|GRRM-CBC
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=cbc>[http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/books/george-rr-martin-full-extended-interview.html Interview with George R.R. Martin]. Canadian Broadcast Channel.</ref>
|[{{IPA|'ɑriəʊ həʊ'tɑː}}], sometimes [{{IPA|'həʊtɑ}}]
|[{{IPA|'ɑriəʊ həʊ'tɑː}}] or [{{IPA|'həʊtɑ}}]
|-
|-
|'''Arya'''  
|'''Arya'''  
|GRRM-FF <br> GoT
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=ff>Interview with George R.R. Martin. ''[http://www.fast-forward.tv/archive/archive.htm Fast Forward]''.</ref><br>{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'ɑɹiə}}], like English ''aria'' <br> [{{IPA|'ɑɹjə}}]
|[{{IPA|'ɑɹiə}}], like [[wikt:aria|aria]]<br> [{{IPA|'ɑɹjə}}]
|-
|-
|'''Benjen'''
|'''Benjen'''
|GRRM<ref>The Citadel. ''Various Pronunciations'' October 24, 1998 [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/1998/10/ So Spake Martin]</ref>
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=var>"[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/1998/10/ Various Pronunciations]". ''The Citadel'', 24 Oct 1998.</ref>
|[{{IPA|'bɛndʒɛn}}]
|[{{IPA|'bɛndʒɛn}}]
|-
|-
|'''Bran'''  
|'''Bran'''  
|GRRM-FF
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=ff/>
|[{{IPA|bɹæn}}], like English ''bran''
|[{{IPA|bɹæn}}], like [[wikt:bran|bran]]
|-
|-
|'''Brienne'''  
|'''Brienne'''  
|GRRM-RH <br> RD, JL <br> GoT
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh>[http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19019/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19019/GeorgeRRMartinInterview.mp3 Interview with George R.R. Martin]. Random House.</ref><br>{{sc|rd}} & {{sc|jl}}<br>{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|bɹi'ɛni}}]<br>[{{IPA|braɪ'i:n}}]<br>[{{IPA|bɹi'ɛn}}]
|[{{IPA|bɹi'ɛni}}]<br>[{{IPA|braɪ'i:n}}]<br>[{{IPA|bɹi'ɛn}}]
|-
|-
|'''Caleotte'''  
|'''Caleotte'''  
|GRRM-CBC:
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=cbc/>
|[{{IPA|'kæliɒt}}]
|[{{IPA|'kæliɒt}}]
|-
|-
|'''Catelyn'''  
|'''Catelyn'''  
|GRRM, GoT
|{{sc|grrm}} & {{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'kætlɪn}}])
|[{{IPA|'kætlɪn}}])
|-
|-
|'''Cersei'''  
|'''Cersei'''  
|GRRM-RH <br> RD <br> JL
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/><br>{{sc|rd}}<br>{{sc|jl}}
|[{{IPA|'sɝseɪ}}]. <br> [{{IPA|'sɜ:si}}]. <br> [{{IPA|'sɪəseɪ}}].
|[{{IPA|'sɝseɪ}}]. <br> [{{IPA|'sɜ:si}}]. <br> [{{IPA|'sɪəseɪ}}].
|-
|-
|'''Daenerys'''  
|'''Daenerys'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/><br>&mdash;
|[{{IPA|dən'ɛɹɪs}}] (?: [{{IPA|deɪ'nɛ:rɪs}}])
|[{{IPA|dən'ɛɹɪs}}]<br>[{{IPA|deɪ'nɛ:rɪs}}])
|-
|-
|'''Dany'''  
|'''Dany'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|'dæni}}]
|[{{IPA|'dæni}}]
|-
|-
|'''Davos'''  
|'''Davos'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|'dɑːvos}}]
|[{{IPA|'dɑːvos}}]
|-
|-
|'''Doran'''  
|'''Doran'''  
|GRRM-CBC
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=cbc/>
|[{{IPA|dəʊ'ræn}}]
|[{{IPA|dəʊ'ræn}}]
|-
|-
|'''Jaime'''  
|'''Jaime'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/><br>&mdash;
|[{{IPA|'dʒeɪmi}}] (?: [{{IPA|'dʒeɪmɪ}}])
|[{{IPA|'dʒeɪmi}}]<br>[{{IPA|'dʒeɪmɪ}}])
|-
|-
|'''Jojen'''  
|'''Jojen'''  
|(?:
|&mdash;
|[{{IPA|'dʒəʊdʒən}}])
|[{{IPA|'dʒəʊdʒən}}])
|-
|-
|'''Jon'''  
|'''Jon'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|dʒɒn}}], like English ''John''
|[{{IPA|dʒɒn}}], like [[wikt:John|John]]
|-
|-
|'''Jonquil'''
|'''Jonquil'''
|GRRM<ref>The Citadel. ''Torcon'' (Toronto, Ontario) August 28-September 1 2003 [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2003/08/ So Spake Martin]</ref>
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=torcon>"[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2003/08/ Torcon (Toronto, Canada)]". ''The Citadel'', 28 Aug&ndash;1 Sept 2003.</ref>
|[{{IPA|'dʒɒnkɪl}}]
|[{{IPA|'dʒɒnkɪl}}]
|-
|-
|'''Lysa'''  
|'''Lysa'''  
|GoT
|{{sc|grrm}}<br>{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'laɪsə}}]) <!-- Also, claimed: GRRM: [laɪsɑː] or [laɪzɑ:]. But: (1) where is the stress? (2) reference, please -->
|[laɪsɑː] or [laɪzɑ:]<br>[{{IPA|'laɪsə}}])
|-
|-
|'''Petyr'''  
|'''Petyr'''  
|GRRM <ref>The Citadel. ''To Be Continued 4'' (Chicago, IL), May 6–8, 2005. [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2005/05/ So Spake Martin]</ref> <br> RD
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref>"[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2005/05/ To Be Continued 4 (Chicago, Illinois)]". ''The Citadel'', 6&ndash;8 May 2005.</ref><br>{{sc|rd}}
|[{{IPA|pi:'tɚ}}], like English ''Peter'' <br> [{{IPA|pɪ'taɪə}}]
|[{{IPA|pi:'tɚ}}], like [[wikt:Peter|Peter]]<br> [{{IPA|pɪ'taɪə}}]
|-
|-
|'''Rhaegar'''
|'''Rhaegar'''
|GRRM<ref>The Citadel. ''Pronunciations'' May 8, 1999 [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/1999/05/ So Spake Martin]</ref>, GoT
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref>"[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/1999/05/ Pronunciations]". ''The Citadel'', 8 May 1999.</ref> & {{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'ɹeɪgɑɹ}}]
|[{{IPA|'ɹeɪgɑɹ}}]
|-
|-
|'''Rickon'''  
|'''Rickon'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|'ɹɪkɒn}}]
|[{{IPA|'ɹɪkɒn}}]
|-
|-
|'''Sansa'''
|'''Sansa'''
|GRRM <br> GoT
|{{sc|grrm}}<br>{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|sɔːnsə}}] <br> variously [{{IPA|'sænsə}}], [{{IPA|'sænzə}}] or [{{IPA|'sɑːnsə}}]
|[{{IPA|sɔːnsə}}] <br> variously [{{IPA|'sænsə}}], [{{IPA|'sænzə}}] or [{{IPA|'sɑːnsə}}]
|-
|-
|'''Tobho'''
|'''Tobho'''
|GRRM<ref>The Citadel. ''Torcon'' (Toronto, Ontario) August 28-September 1 2003 [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2003/08/ So Spake Martin]</ref>
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=torcon/>
|[{{IPA|toʊ:'boʊ}}]
|[{{IPA|toʊ:'boʊ}}]
|-
|-
|'''Tommen'''  
|'''Tommen'''  
|GRRM-CBC
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=cbc/><br>{{sc|rd}} & {{sc|jl}}
|[{{IPA|'toʊmən}}], RD, JL: [{{IPA|'tomən}}]
|[{{IPA|'toʊmən}}]<br>[{{IPA|'tomən}}]
|-
|-
|'''Tyrion'''  
|'''Tyrion'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/><br>&mdash;
|[{{IPA|'tɪɹiən}}] (?: [{{IPA|'tɪrɪən}}])
|[{{IPA|'tɪɹiən}}]<br>[{{IPA|'tɪrɪən}}])
|-
|-
|'''Tywin'''  
|'''Tywin'''  
|GoT
|{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'taɪwɪn}}])
|[{{IPA|'taɪwɪn}}])
|-
|-
|'''Viserys'''  
|'''Viserys'''  
|GoT
|{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|vɪ'sɛːrɪs}}])
|[{{IPA|vɪ'sɛːrɪs}}])
|-
|-
|'''Xaro Xhoan Daxos'''
|'''Xaro Xhoan Daxos'''
|GoT
|{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'zaːrəʊ 'zəʊ.æn 'dɒksɒs}}]
|[{{IPA|'zaːrəʊ 'zəʊ.æn 'dɒksɒs}}]
|}
|}
Line 128: Line 142:
{|
{|
|'''[[House Baratheon|Baratheon]]'''  
|'''[[House Baratheon|Baratheon]]'''  
|(?:
|{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|bə'ræθiən}}])
|[{{IPA|bə'ræθiən}}])
|-
|-
|'''[[House Frey|Frey]]'''
|'''[[House Frey|Frey]]'''
|GRRM<ref>The Citadel. ''Torcon'' (Toronto, Ontario) August 28-September 1 2003 [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2003/08/ So Spake Martin]</ref>
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=torcon/> & {{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|freɪ}}]
|[{{IPA|freɪ}}]
|-
|-
|'''[[House Lannister|Lannister]]'''  
|'''[[House Lannister|Lannister]]'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|'lænɪstɚ}}]
|[{{IPA|'lænɪstər}}]
|-
|-
|'''[[House Stark|Stark]]'''  
|'''[[House Stark|Stark]]'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|stɑɹk}}], like English ''stark''
|[{{IPA|stɑɹk}}], like English ''stark''
|-
|-
|'''[[House Targaryen|Targaryen]]'''  
|'''[[House Targaryen|Targaryen]]'''  
| GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/><br>&mdash;
|[{{IPA|tɑɹ'gɛɹiən}}] (?: [{{IPA|ta'gɛ:rɪən}}])
|[{{IPA|tɑɹ'gɛɹiən}}]<br>[{{IPA|ta'gɛ:rɪən}}]
|-
Presumably, bastard names (like ''Snow'' and ''Rivers'') are always pronounced like the corresponding common noun.
|}
|}


Line 153: Line 165:
{|
{|
|'''Asshai'''  
|'''Asshai'''  
|RD:
|{{sc|rd}}<br>{{sc|jl}}
|[{{IPA|a'ʃaɪ}}]. JL: [{{IPA|'aʃaɪ}}]
|[{{IPA|a'ʃaɪ}}]<br>[{{IPA|'aʃaɪ}}]
|-
|-
|'''Westeros'''  
|'''Westeros'''  
|GRRM-RH
|{{sc|grrm}}<ref name=rh/>
|[{{IPA|'wɛstəɹos}}]
|[{{IPA|'wɛstəɹos}}]
|}
|}
Line 165: Line 177:
{|
{|
|'''Khaleesi'''  
|'''Khaleesi'''  
|(?:
|{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|kə'liːsiː}}])
|[{{IPA|kɑː'liːsiː}}])
|-
|-
|'''Maester'''  
|'''Maester'''  
|(?:
|{{sc|got}}
|[{{IPA|'meɪstə}}])
|[{{IPA|'meɪstər}}], [{{IPA|'meɪstɝː}}]
|-
|-
|'''Ser'''  
|'''Ser'''  
|(?:
|&mdash;
|[{{IPA|sɝː}}], like English ''sir'')
|[{{IPA|sɝː}}], like [[wikt:sir|sir]]
|}
|}


==References and Notes==
==References and Notes==
{{references|3}}
{{references|2}}


{{Languages}}
{{Languages}}
[[Category:Languages]][[zh:发音规范]]
[[Category:Languages]][[zh:发音规范]]

Revision as of 10:24, 5 May 2014

The pronunciation of names in the Known World is variable. Unlike the academic J.R.R. Tolkien, who claimed to have written The Lord of the Rings series primarily for the joy of fleshing out the invented languages of Middle Earth,[1] George R.R. Martin has stated that "I don't have his gift for languages"[2] and, when asked about canonical pronunciations, replied that "you can pronounce it however you like."[3]

Sources

Author

George Raymond Richard Martin himself is an American who was born to a family of mixed Italian and Irish ancestry and grew up in w:Bayonne, New Jersey. He attended college and university at Northwestern in Evanston, and now lives in Santa Fe, but his accent has been described as remaining a "gravelly New Jersey" one.[4]

He has himself opined, however, that English accents work better for fantasy: "It is full of castles and lords and swords and knights and all the other trappings we associate with England in this country. It seems natural. It would be hard to do with a group of actors who had thick Southern accents".[5]

Television Show

Within the television show, accents generally reflect the region and class of the characters. (A specific class-based difference noted within the show is that the lords themselves carefully enunciate "my lord" as two words whereas commoners slur them into a monosyllabic "m'lud".[6]) Westerosi accents generally reflect those of Britain, from Northern among the First Men of the North and beyond the Wall to Welsh influence in the Vale to posh RP accents among the Andal nobility and clergy of the Westerlands and Crownlands. Essosi comprises the rest of Eurasia and characters from its regions have spoken with Mediterranean (Braavos), Germanic (Lorath), and loosely Arabic accents (Dothraki).[7] The more peculiar accents of the Essosi characters reflect that the Common Tongue of the Andals (i.e., English) is not their native language.[8]

These general differences have several notable exceptions among the actors: Ned Stark's children speak with southern accents while Samwell Tarly is Mancunian. Asshai is nowhere near Lorath but Melisandre speaks with a Dutch accent.[7]

The show hired the linguist David J. Peterson to flesh out Essos's Dothraki language.[9] He then went on to create Valyrian from only three phrases appearing in the books: dracarys, valar morghulis, and valar dohaeris. He runs a blog detailing the grammar of the two languages[10] and provides translations of (and audio files for) Martin's books and the actors' lines[11] but his pronunciations are not necessarily canonical: showrunners opted against his pronunciation of khaleesi, actors change phrasings and vocalizations, and editors clip sentences during post-production.[9]

Audio Books

All of the audiobooks of the series have now been read by Roy Dotrice, OBE, the British actor who played Hallyne the Pyromancer in season 2 of the television show. Owing to scheduling issues, A Feast for Crows was also initially read by John Lee, who speaks an Irish-tinged British English.[12]

Guide

For help understanding the pronunciations, see IPA for English[13] and the pronunciation respelling key at Wikipedia.[14] For further information on dialectical differences, see IPA for English dialects.

The following abbreviations are employed:

Characters

Areo Hotah grrm[15] ['ɑriəʊ həʊ'tɑː] or ['həʊtɑ]
Arya grrm[16]
got 		['ɑɹiə], like aria
['ɑɹjə]
Benjen grrm[17] ['bɛndʒɛn]
Bran grrm[16] [bɹæn], like bran
Brienne grrm[18]
rd & jl
got 		[bɹi'ɛni]
[braɪ'i:n]
[bɹi'ɛn]
Caleotte grrm[15] ['kæliɒt]
Catelyn grrm & got ['kætlɪn])
Cersei grrm[18]
rd
jl 		['sɝseɪ].
['sɜ:si].
['sɪəseɪ].
Daenerys grrm[18]
— 		[dən'ɛɹɪs]
[deɪ'nɛ:rɪs])
Dany grrm[18] ['dæni]
Davos grrm[18] ['dɑːvos]
Doran grrm[15] [dəʊ'ræn]
Jaime grrm[18]
— 		['dʒeɪmi]
['dʒeɪmɪ])
Jojen — ['dʒəʊdʒən])
Jon grrm[18] [dʒɒn], like John
Jonquil grrm[19] ['dʒɒnkɪl]
Lysa grrm
got 		[laɪsɑː] or [laɪzɑ:]
['laɪsə])
Petyr grrm[20]
rd 		[pi:'tɚ], like Peter
[pɪ'taɪə]
Rhaegar grrm[21] & got ['ɹeɪgɑɹ]
Rickon grrm[18] ['ɹɪkɒn]
Sansa grrm
got 		[sɔːnsə]
variously ['sænsə], ['sænzə] or ['sɑːnsə]
Tobho grrm[19] [toʊ:'boʊ]
Tommen grrm[15]
rd & jl 		['toʊmən]
['tomən]
Tyrion grrm[18]
— 		['tɪɹiən]
['tɪrɪən])
Tywin got ['taɪwɪn])
Viserys got [vɪ'sɛːrɪs])
Xaro Xhoan Daxos got ['zaːrəʊ 'zəʊ.æn 'dɒksɒs]

Houses and surnames

Baratheon got [bə'ræθiən])
Frey grrm[19] & got [freɪ]
Lannister grrm[18] ['lænɪstər]
Stark grrm[18] [stɑɹk], like English stark
Targaryen grrm[18]
— 		[tɑɹ'gɛɹiən]
[ta'gɛ:rɪən]

Places

Asshai rd
jl 		[a'ʃaɪ]
['aʃaɪ]
Westeros grrm[18] ['wɛstəɹos]


Titles

Khaleesi got [kɑː'liːsiː])
Maester got ['meɪstər], ['meɪstɝː]
Ser — [sɝː], like sir

References and Notes

  1. ↑ Peterson, Britt. "[http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/04/05/yes-writing-languages-for-game-thrones-real-job/4eyOZKW5EVL6Mt8qBQJ20L/story.html Yes, Writing Languages for 'Game of Thrones' Is a Real Job". Boston Globe, 6 Apr 2014. Accessed 2 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Amoka. "Yet More Questions". The Citadel, 22 July 2001. Accessed 1 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Nazfyratu. "US Signing Tour (New York City, NY)". The Citadel, 15 Nov 2005. Accessed 1 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Salter, Jessica. "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/9945808/Game-of-Thrones-Interview-with-George-RR-Martin.html Game of Thrones: Interview with George RR Martin". The Telegraph, 25 Mar 2013. Accessed 2 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Wheeler, Brian. "Why Are Fantasy World Accents British?" BBC News Magazine, 30 Mar 2012. Accessed 2 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Tywin Lannister to Arya Stark in "A Man without Honor".
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Read, Max. "What Is Going on with the Accents in Game of Thrones?". Gawker, 6 May 2013. Accessed 1 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Daenerys's request that leaders of her army begin learning the language is a minor plot point in "Oathkeeper".
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Martin, Denise. "Learn to Speak Dothraki and Valyrian from the Man who Invented Them for Game of Thrones". Vulture, 24 Apr 2013. Accessed 1 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Peterson, David. Dothraki: A Language of Fire and Blood. Accessed 1 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Tharoor, Ishaan. "Tongues of Ice and Fire: Creating the Languages in Game of Thrones". Time, 3 May 2013. Accessed 2 May 2014.
  12. ↑ Narrator Profile: John Lee". AudioFile Magazine. Accessed 2 May 2014.
  13. ↑ For further information on IPA, see Wikipedia's article on the [[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|]]. The IPA can be somewhat non-intuitive for native English-speakers, particularly since it uses continental values for its vowels.
  14. ↑ For further information on respelling, see [[w:pronunciation respelling for English|]].
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Interview with George R.R. Martin. Canadian Broadcast Channel.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Interview with George R.R. Martin. Fast Forward.
  17. ↑ "Various Pronunciations". The Citadel, 24 Oct 1998.
  18. ↑ 18.00 18.01 18.02 18.03 18.04 18.05 18.06 18.07 18.08 18.09 18.10 18.11 18.12 Interview with George R.R. Martin. Random House.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Torcon (Toronto, Canada)". The Citadel, 28 Aug–1 Sept 2003.
  20. ↑ "To Be Continued 4 (Chicago, Illinois)". The Citadel, 6–8 May 2005.
  21. ↑ "Pronunciations". The Citadel, 8 May 1999.
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