Pronunciation help: all languages

[wildemoose]

Hello friends, does anyone have any knowledge regarding pronunciation of Hebrew words? I've recorded a section from Calvin's Commentary on I Corinthians where he throws in a couple words in Hebrew but at present have skipped over them, show in context below.

"For תם, which is always rendered in the Septuagint by τελειος means complete "

"If we understand אלהים (God) to be in the accusative, the relative who must be supplied."

If anyone can write them out phonetically, I can read/record/insert them. Thanks!

I'm not sure about the first one, but the second one, אלהים (God), is Elohim, pronounced eh-low-HEEM.

[tovarisch]

A colleague of mine who knows Hebrew says that 'תם' (one of meanings - "complete" or "whole") sounds a lot like 'tahm' (although not necessarily as long). More like 'tum'...

[wildemoose]

That would make sense based on those letters, which are tav (T) and mem (M) - I just wasn't sure what the vowel sound would be.

[echobase77]

Thanks so much!

[KatyF]

Irish
Hello. Is there an Irish Librivox member who could tell me how to pronounce the following three words from W.B. Yeats' poems? Thank you for your help.

01 'ger-eagle': Apparently 'ger-eagle' is a Biblical reference ('geier-eagle' is used in the Authorised Version of the Bible as a translation of the Hebrew 'raham', a kind of vulture).

The Danann children laugh, in cradles of wrought gold,
And clap their hands together, and half close their eyes,
For they will ride the North when the ger-eagle flies,
With heavy whitening wings, and a heart fallen cold:
I kiss my wailing child and press it to my breast,
And hear the narrow graves calling my child and me.


02 'Clooth-na-bare' and 03 'Caolte': (one online source says it's pronounced 'celch-uh' and another says it's 'kweelteh').

The host is riding from Knocknarea

And over the grave of Clooth-na-bare;

Caolte tossing his burning hair

And Niamh calling Away, come away:

[KatyF]

Irish
Hello. Is there an Irish Librivox member who could tell me how to pronounce the following three words from W.B. Yeats' poems? Thank you for your help.
...

Wonderfully, a kind Librivox member has seen this post and has private-messaged me the answers. I'm really touched and very grateful.

[ShiNeko]

Irish
Hi! I'll appreciate help with pronunciation of the following words from W.B. Yeats' poems (The wind among the reeds):

Knocknarea and Clooth-na-Bare
Knocknarea is in Sligo, and the country people say that Maeve, still a great queen of the western Sidhe, is buried in the cairn of stones upon it. I have written of Clooth-na-Bare in * The Celtic Twilight.

Coilooney
I forget, now, where I heard this story, but it may have been from a priest at Coilooney.

Lough Liath, Slieve Fuadh, Slieve G-Cullain and Cailleach Buillia
Mr. O' Grady found her haunting Lough Liath high up on the top of a mountain of the Fews, the Slieve Fuadh, or Slieve G-Cullain of old times, under the name of the Cailleac Buillia.

Meluchra
He identifies the Cailleac Buillia with that Meluchra who persuaded Fionn to go to her amid the waters of Lough Liath, and so hanged him with her enchant-ments, that, though she had to free him because of the threats of the Fiana, his hair was ever afterwards as white as snow.

Aebhen
Aebhen was the goddess of the tribes of northern Leinster; and the lover she had made immortal, and who loved her perfectly, left her, and put on mortality, to fight among them against the stranger, and died on the strand of Clontarf.

Thank you!

[pamcastille]

I need help with the following phrase from The Ebony Box, a story from Princess Mary's Gift Book. I think it's German.

Ich hatte einen Kamaraden
Einen besseren findest du nicht.

[Availle]

I need help with the following phrase from The Ebony Box, a story from Princess Mary's Gift Book. I think it's German.

Ich hatte einen Kamaraden
Einen besseren findest du nicht.

It is German indeed, it means:

I had a comrade
a better one cannot be found.

Actually I thought this was from a WWII song, but it seems that at least the text is much older.

https://librivox.org/uploads/availle/germanhelp_pamcastille.mp3

I read it word for word first, then at natural speed. HTH.

[pamcastille]

I need help with the following phrase from The Ebony Box, a story from Princess Mary's Gift Book. I think it's German.

Ich hatte einen Kamaraden
Einen besseren findest du nicht.

It is German indeed, it means:

I had a comrade
a better one cannot be found.

Actually I thought this was from a WWII song, but it seems that at least the text is much older.

https://librivox.org/uploads/availle/germanhelp_pamcastille.mp3

I read it word for word first, then at natural speed. HTH.

Thank you so much Ava!! Sounds beautiful from you, I'll try my best!

[wordzenpix]

Pronunciation guides are invaluable, but basics should come before that, such as simply looking up words we think we know but don't. That will help avoid many embarrassing pronunciation errors. As a lifelong copyeditor, I've found it necessary (and still do) to look up common words for spelling, meaning and pronunciation, crucial if you're correcting the work of others.

It's essential to at least skim the contents of a book before beginning to record. Highlight words you're not ABSOLUTELY sure of. I've heard quite well-educated and literate individuals say "mis-CHEEV-ious" since they grew up hearing it. "MIS-chuh-vus" is the only correct pronunciation, the way it's spelled.

PLEASE look up Biblical names since the same often happens. I've heard three instances of Beelzebub pronounced "BEE-zuhl-bub." It's "bee-EL-zuh-bub," the one and only pronunciation, just as "zoology" is "zo-OL-ogy" and not "zoo-OL-ogy" as many say. That would require three o's. Nebuchadnezzar is a tough one to say correctly, and I heard it butchered a couple of days ago. Don't be afraid to stop and edit. It's not hard, and there's plenty of free software to do that. Once learned, it's very easy to use and takes some of the stress out of worrying about stumbling or making an error.

I interrupted listening to a Librivox story a moment ago to write this after hearing someone say "GES-TALT." That's the way it's spelled, but, in this case, phonics is NOT fun. Many foreign words have come into the English language and are NOT phonetic. "guh-SHTALT" is correct. The schwa has become an endangered species. Please don't hasten its demise.

As I learned working with veteran broadcasters, cold reading is a recipe for disaster, particularly on live television where there are no second takes. The best will read cold copy only in an emergency. The best highlight their hand copy with phonetic spelling on difficult or unfamiliar names and words. Librivox is a noble and worthy enterprise, and deserves the same kind of respect for its product.

The dictionary is your best friend and available at a glance online, paper if you prefer to have an old friend beside your copy. Maintain that friendship, and it will amaze and educate you -- and save the ear pans of your listeners.

[chocoholic]

A quick glance at Merriam-Webster's entry for "mischievous" might show you one reason we ask our proof-listeners not to comment on pronunciation. Some readers do request pronunciation checks, which is their prerogative.

While I have sympathy for your pained ears, this is a subject which has come up many times over the years and our conclusion is always the same: that we are volunteers having fun with a hobby, and we are giving our audiobooks away for free. Perfection might be admirable in some ventures, but for one of this nature it is undefinable and unenforceable.

[wordzenpix]

I don't intend this as a debate, and I do sympathize with the mission of Librivox. But I do think a degree of uniformity would improve the product. Since I'm also a North Carolina resident, I'm very aware of regional pronunciations and dialects, but those should be used only in cases appropriate for a speaker in a story where they can delight and entertain. An example is the Southern "spicket" for "spigot." Some dictionaries have incorporated common usage, but tradition should carry more weight than accommodation.

The following snippet is from "100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English." http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/mispron.html

"Don't say: mis'chievous | Do say: mischievous

Comment: It would be mischievous of me not to point out the frequent misplacement of the accent on this word. Remember, it is accented the same as mischief. Look out for the order of the and [e] in the spelling, too and don't add another in the ending (not mischievious)."

I'd suggest posting such helpful sites on Librivox could serve as valuable references for volunteers. I think such guidance could only serve to enhance the esprit de corps.

Bill Sandifer

[chocoholic]

You're quite right that pronunciation guides are helpful, and we have a Wiki page for them:
http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/English_Pronunciation_Guides
Howjsay is one of my favorites.

[TriciaG]

http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/English_Pronunciation_Guides

I'll add the one you suggest to the list. Thanks for the suggestion.

EDIT: Laurie Anne and I cross-posted.