Pronunciation

[Erika Maroonmark]

How do you pronounce "lich"? I can think of several different ways (/leek/, /lick/, /litch/, /leech/, /like/…) but which is right? I mean, I'd feel a bit silly saying "I just fought a 'leech' for the tip of Demonslayer" if that wasn't right…

[Kelandon]

It's as if it were spelled "litch." The I is short, and the CH is a standard affricate.

 

Fun fact: the term actually derives from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "a dead body."

[Erika Maroonmark]

Quote:

Originally written by Kelandon:
the term actually derives from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "a dead body."

Awesome. =D
Lic-sar gebad atol æglæca.

[ben4808]

I always say "litch" too. Sounds right. To me.

[Skomer]

Oh. I would have pronounced the -ch as in the Scottish 'loch', or similar to the -ch sound in German.

[Spring]

I have always read it as "leash", but hey, thats me.

[Erika Maroonmark]

Quote:

Originally written by Thin Air:
Oh. I would have pronounced the -ch as in the Scottish 'loch', or similar to the -ch sound in German.

That's what was confusing me– it depended on what the etymology was. If it were from Greek or something, then the ch would be pronounced /k/, for example… but now that I know it's from Anglo-Saxon, it makes perfect sense.

[Kelandon]

Yes, the etymology is the difference. "Loch" is a borrowing from a Celtic language in which the fricative (like the German CH) existed. "Lich" is from an Old English word "lic" — originally pronounced like "lick" — that was eventually palatalized to "lich."

 

For those of you who read IPA, the OED gives the pronunciation as "lɪtʃ."

[Toenail Returns]

I've always prounounced it "litch"

[Skomer]

So how would you all pronounce "lichen"? I was taught two different ways.

[Erika Maroonmark]

I've only ever heard it pronounced like "liken".

 

Quote:

Originally written by Kelandon:

Yes, the etymology is the difference. "Loch" is a borrowing from a Celtic language in which the fricative (like the German CH) existed. "Lich" is from an Old English word "lic" — originally pronounced like "lick" — that was eventually palatalized to "lich."

Really? I always thought that "c" was pronounced "ch" in OE, at least in certain positions. At least in that one. (Unless you're talking about something older than OE, and it was palatalized in OE, in which case I wouldn't know. I don't know if I would know anyway. XD)

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by Thin Air:
So how would you all pronounce "lichen"? I was taught two different ways.

I personally call it "liken", but I do know others who call it "Litchen". It just depends on where you've been brought up.

- Archmagus Micael

[Kelandon]

The "laiken" pronunciation of "lichen" is the only one of which the OED approves.

 

As far as how C was pronounced in Old English, there's something of an issue of which OE you're talking about. I was under the impression that most C palatalizations (before front vowels, for instance: cêse -> cheese) took place during the Old English period, because they show up in Middle English orthography but not in Old English orthography. I am not by any means an Anglo-Saxonist, however, so I don't know for certain. Wikipedia would have this info.

[Erika Maroonmark]

Maybe. Or maybe that trend in the orthography was a result of French influence.

Wikipedia says "Before a consonant letter the pronunciation is always /k/; word-finally after i it is always /(IPA symbol for "ch", which my computer doesn't like)/. Otherwise a knowledge of the historical linguistics of the word in question is needed to predict which pronunciation is needed."

No wonder I could never keep those rules straight. >>;

[Cairo Jim]

i would of gone with "leek." It would be fun when being asked what sort of monster I want in my Soul Crystal-"Honey, I'm going for a Lich (leek)."

[Radix Malorum Est Cupiditas]

Damn bastard language.

[Yours Sincerely, The Boogyman.]

I've always read it as"Litch"

[Erika Maroonmark]

Quote:

Originally written by Cairo Jim:
i would of gone with "leek." It would be fun when being asked what sort of monster I want in my Soul Crystal-"Honey, I'm going for a Lich (leek)."

Or, "I'm taking a lich."
However, it is not to be. But it makes my inner linguist happy. XD

[Cairo Jim]

Quote:

Originally written by radix malorum est cupiditas:
Damn bastard language.

Lighten up and please get a sense of humour.

[Lilith]

That is her sense of humour. She's insulting the English language, not you.

[Johannas-Visionary]

I think there are quite a lot of variable pronounciations. Do you say Rakasha Ra-Kar-Sha or Rackasha? Most of them are down to decision. I also wonder about Citrach- Sit-Rash or

Sit-Rach as in arch?

[Kelandon]

It helps if you can, you know, spell the words, because both of your pronunciations of "rakshasa" are horribly wrong. That is also a real word, borrowed into English from Sanskrit, and the correct pronunciation is RAHK-shah-sah (the A's are pronounced as in "father").

 

Chitrach, on the other hand, is not a real English word, but your pronunciations are still pretty blatantly wrong, because "chi" never says "si" in English. I've always pronounced it as naturally as I could: CHIT-ratch. Jeff may have had "chitin" in mind when he made up the word, though, and if so, it would be pronounced entirely differently. (It would sound like "kite-rack.")

[Alorael at Large]

For a mixture, I pronounce it CHIT-rack.

 

—Alorael, who pronounces rakshasa TEE-EM.

[Radix Malorum Est Cupiditas]

Quote:

Originally written by Cairo Jim:

Quote:

Originally written by radix malorum est cupiditas:
Damn bastard language.

Lighten up and please get a sense of humour.

English has been called the bastard language for hundreds of years. It has been called that because it is the bastard child of just about all indo-european languages.

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by radix malorum est cupiditas:
English has been called the bastard language for hundreds of years. It has been called that because it is the bastard child of just about all indo-european languages.

What does that make American English then? The bastard's bastard child?

- Archmagus Micael

[Alorael at Large]

A bastard language with extraneous vowels excised.

 

—Alorael, whose advice is to give up .

[Erika Maroonmark]

An amputated bastard language? XD

 

"Hear me say, devoid of trickery,

Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore"

 

That is just awesome.

 

(Yes, he has a knife. )

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Erika Maroonmark:
"Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore"

That's how you pronounce Terpsichore? Oh no! I've made a fool of myself every time I've summarised the plot of Xanadu!

[Cairo Jim]

Quote:

Originally written by radix malorum est cupiditas:

Quote:

Originally written by Cairo Jim:

Quote:

Originally written by radix malorum est cupiditas:
Damn bastard language.

Lighten up and please get a sense of humour.

English has been called the bastard language for hundreds of years. It has been called that because it is the bastard child of just about all indo-european languages.

Sorry, thought you were talking about me. As for Chitrach I usually say KIT-RACK

[Lilith]

Whilst you may or may not be stupid and/or a bastard, you are quite clearly not a language. Why on earth would you think that comment was referring to you?

[Cairo Jim]

Because she was using what I said as a quote in her comment, and I'm used to things like that a criticism.

[Lilith]

He's a she.

[Cairo Jim]

So I see. My apologies.