How is "Geneforge" pronounced?

[Juan Carlo]

So I finally finished my torment play through of the entire series I began way back in Novemeber. Awesome games, especially G5 which is one of the best RPGs I've ever played and which certainly rivals any of the late 1990s infinity engine classics.

 

But one question remains: how is "geneforge" pronounced?

 

Is it just pronounced "gene-forge" as in just a combo of the words "gene" and "forge"?

 

This seems the most obvious, but for some reason I've always pronounced it "gen-ah-forge"--i.e. as a 3 syllable word. It just sounds cooler to me than "gene-forge," which sounds a bit boring and overly literal. Plus, there is some linguistic precedent for pronouncing it as 3 syllables as while the second "e" in the word "gene" would not be pronounced when it's on its own, when an "e" like that appears in the middle of a word (as it does in "geneforge") it's often pronounced.

 

So which is the standard pronunciation?

[Goldengirl]

This topic appears from time to time on the boards, and the majority usually sides with just the compound gene-forge. That said, there have been consistent deviations from that norm in the form of other pronunciations - jen-forge for instance.

[BMA]

Many of those whom I've showed the game to don't seem to be able to see it as a compound word, pronouncing it instead as "Jeni-Forge".

 

I facepalmed everytime I heard "Jeni-Forge", until I read that there really are different ways of saying it.

[Gavaroc]

Bear in mind everything I say has a distinct Australian accent, so personally I find Jen-Ehh-Forge to suit the tongue far, far better than 'Gene' as in DNA.

 

In terms of an in-universe explanation, I would call your attention to the fact that often similar bases of words are pronounced differently for different words in real life.

 

There are better examples, but take photograph and photography:

Photograph, we pronounce 'Pho-TOE-graph'.

Photography, we pronounce 'Pho-TOG-raphy'.

The sound is different, but nobody doubts we're talking about photos.

 

The Geneforge is concerned with Genes, yes. But you don't need to pronounce it as one would 'Genes' in order to keep that association anymore than you need to pronounce photography as 'PHO-TOE-Graphy.'

 

Conclusion? There is no standard pronunciation, not unless Jeff Vogel himself says there is one. However, there's a decent argument behind pretty much every pronounciation you can think of. Except maybe 'Jen-Ehh-For-Jay.' That would just be ridiculous.

[adc.]

Jen-ne-forge. I didn't say that it is the exact pronounciation of Geneforge. That is how I pronounce it. I also agree with Goldenking's idea.

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-Geneforge, Nightwatcher

[Trenton.]

I still say Gen-ah-forge.

[The Mystic]

And I still say gene-forge.

 

I'll also continue to agree to disagree with those who pronounce it differently; I still know what they're talking about.

[Juan Carlo]

Heh.

 

Vogel did a speech at a conference (I posted the video in the general section) and he pronounced it as the two syllable "gene" "forge."

 

All I can say is........it's a shame he doesn't know how to pronounce his game correctly.