HOUSE review; quick KNIFE-related poll

[rj_anderson]

This week's House = best episode of the last two seasons. Also, my love for Kutner is so great it may explode my brain. SF geeks unite!

And now before I head off to NYC for the weekend, because nothing says love like a poll --

Poll Help an author out here...

I am so excited about meeting yahtzee63 tonight in person! Not to mention my editor. And my agent. And a bunch of other folks. I

Comments

[ljrags]

Have a wonderful time!

[yunitsa]

Though I sort of have to force myself in both cases, on the basis that a "wynd" (as in alley) is pronounced with a long i, I go with Oaken-wild.

Have fun!

[sollersuk]

Me too. I'd take the "y" as a cue that it isn't a short "i".

[ozratbag2]

From the scant bits of Old/Middle English that I remember, if you'd spelt it Oakenwald, then it would be prounounced Oaken-walled. So, having the Y makes it Oaken-Willed...and that probably makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. ;)

[rj_anderson]

Probably not, but I've always thought of it as "oaken-willed" too. It was just the other day that I realized most people would probably say "wild" and I might need to make a mental adjustment.

[ozratbag2]

I must admit, I did have to sit and mentally say the word several times, but I suppose it depends what era you're setting the character in - as that will ultimately decide how to pronounce it. :)

[infiniteviking]

Hm, at first blush I'd apply the same rule as used with "fiendfyre"; i.e. it looks like "fiendfire" with a y. But fantasy books always have words with variable pronunciation -- it took me ages to figure out Oin and Gloin, but then I was only seven -- and in the end, your canon is up to you.

Have a fantastic time in NYC!

[mary_j_59]

Have a great time! I am sorry I won't (as it seems) be able to meet you - I am working Saturday - but you've got my phone number, right? And stay healthy! There is actually a lot of this bug going around here in NY, too - it's racing through the schools, and one of my colleagues had something like it a couple of weeks ago.

As to the word, I was initially coming at it from a (modern) German perspective. A "y" is the same as a "u" umlaut, so you should pronounce it as follows: purse your lips as if you were going to whistle and say "ee" (as in long "i" - Germanic - or "eek!" ). From a modern U.S. perspective, I'd think it rhymes with "mild" - a long "i" in modern English. So that's what I voted for.