Official Pronunciation of Xiuquatl ?

[Talindra.4958]

I'd call that.. Xiuquatl

 

See-you-kwa-tal

 

Xiu (sounds like small)

Quatl is a type of snake-dragon creature ?

Green is quite a spiritual colour like Jade green

[Zaraki.5784]

Shu-ka-tl.

[MithranArkanere.8957]

The name is just another english transliteration of "[Xiuhcoatl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiuhcoatl "Xiuhcoatl")", which is the Aztec name of a mythological snake with wings and feathers.

 

And since that'll make the name pronounce in [Nahuatl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Nahuatl "Nahuatl "), it has to be close to SHE-UH-COO-AT-L, or more exactly [ʃiʍˈkoːaːt͡ɬ] if you can read IPA.

 

In other words, like "Tequatl" but with "She-uh" instead "Te".

[Game of Bones.8975]

I am the [Walrus](

"Walrus")]!

[Loosmaster.8263]

> @"Game of Bones.8975" said:

> I am the [Walrus](

"Walrus")]!

 

Koo Koo Ka Choo...

[Malediktus.9250]

shi-u-ktl

 

http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

 

since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

[Ashabhi.1365]

My daughter's wife (a linguistics specialist) pronounced it "shuh-KWAT-el." She said that the correct formal pronunciation was probably closer to "she-uh-ko-WAT-el" but in casual speaking the first third would be merged into a dipthong because people are relatively lazy with the way they speak. So, I think I'll go with that... much easier for an old lady like me to say that way... ?

[Zoid.2568]

tsi-quat- L

 

If the X is pronounced as in chinese cantonese I think it's chi-quat-L

[Hamfast.8719]

I pronounce it "sep-tur". That seems to work well enough for most people.

[PlagueParade.7942]

Gesundheit.

 

[Talindra.4958]

> @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> shi-u-ktl

>

> http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

>

> since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

 

i don't think it is mayan :P the creature looks more eastern mythology creatures

 

update: ah i just did a google search on mayan myth creatures.. maybe it is.. argh.. we need dev to explain & reveal how she/he come up with this lol i am going nuts

[Talindra.4958]

> @"MithranArkanere.8957" said:

> The name is just another english transliteration of "[Xiuhcoatl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiuhcoatl "Xiuhcoatl")", which is the Aztec name of a mythological snake with wings and feathers.

>

> And since that'll make the name pronounce in [Nahuatl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Nahuatl "Nahuatl "), it has to be close to SHE-UH-COO-AT-L, or more exactly [ʃiʍˈkoːaːt͡ɬ] if you can read IPA.

>

> In other words, like "Tequatl" but with "She-uh" instead "Te".

 

oh i only saw this post..... thanks :) that's come very close to the name! :)

[Malediktus.9250]

> @"Talindra.4958" said:

> > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > shi-u-ktl

> >

> > http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

> >

> > since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

>

> i don't think it is mayan :P the creature looks more eastern mythology creatures

>

> update: ah i just did a google search on mayan myth creatures.. maybe it is.. argh.. we need dev to explain & reveal how she/he come up with this lol i am going nuts

 

I do not know if the creature is mayan, but the name is. Same with Tequatl for example

[Eekasqueak.7850]

> @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > @"Talindra.4958" said:

> > > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > shi-u-ktl

> > >

> > > http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

> > >

> > > since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

> >

> > i don't think it is mayan :P the creature looks more eastern mythology creatures

> >

> > update: ah i just did a google search on mayan myth creatures.. maybe it is.. argh.. we need dev to explain & reveal how she/he come up with this lol i am going nuts

>

> I do not know if the creature is mayan, but the name is. Same with Tequatl for example

 

Thought Tequatl was Aztec, also the Mayans died out before the colonization of the Americas so where would you get pronunciation from?

[RoseofGilead.8907]

> @"Eekasqueak.7850" said:

> > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > @"Talindra.4958" said:

> > > > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > > shi-u-ktl

> > > >

> > > > http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

> > > >

> > > > since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

> > >

> > > i don't think it is mayan :P the creature looks more eastern mythology creatures

> > >

> > > update: ah i just did a google search on mayan myth creatures.. maybe it is.. argh.. we need dev to explain & reveal how she/he come up with this lol i am going nuts

> >

> > I do not know if the creature is mayan, but the name is. Same with Tequatl for example

>

> Thought Tequatl was Aztec, also the Mayans died out before the colonization of the Americas so where would you get pronunciation from?

 

The spelling here definitely seems to be under the Nahuatl (Aztec) umbrella. But the Mayan language family still exists and is still spoken.

[Malediktus.9250]

> @"Eekasqueak.7850" said:

> > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > @"Talindra.4958" said:

> > > > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > > shi-u-ktl

> > > >

> > > > http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

> > > >

> > > > since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

> > >

> > > i don't think it is mayan :P the creature looks more eastern mythology creatures

> > >

> > > update: ah i just did a google search on mayan myth creatures.. maybe it is.. argh.. we need dev to explain & reveal how she/he come up with this lol i am going nuts

> >

> > I do not know if the creature is mayan, but the name is. Same with Tequatl for example

>

> Thought Tequatl was Aztec, also the Mayans died out before the colonization of the Americas so where would you get pronunciation from?

 

I think there are still thousands (millions?) of people who speak mayan languages. But now that you say it, I am not exactly sure on the difference between aztec and mayan languages, but since they are from roughly the same area, they are probably related to each other.

[NicholaLord.2630]

Translates to ugly sceptre that looks like a fancy king toads sceptre !

[Arzurag.7506]

I simply spell it Xiuquatl, it's easier as long as there's no actual official pronunciation.

[derd.6413]

i pronounce it she-oo-kwa-tel

[MetalGirl.2370]

I thought it's

 

Zee-quatl

[Gaile Gray.6029]

This inspired quite a lively conversation with the Narrative Team, and the opinions vary on its pronunciation:

 

Tom Abernathy: I think it’s something along the lines of “Cchheew-KAHT-uhl.” Where the X is a back-of-the-throat gutteral pronounced like the Hebrew “ch” in “challa bread” or “Chanukkah.” (He added later, "It’s hard to transliterate that sound. It’s kinda between cchh and sshh." Tom also mentioned the origin was closer to Mexican-American Spanish than Spain Spanish.

 

Bobby Stein: I don’t know if this is accurate, but one [source](

"source") I found pronounces xiu as “shoe”. Xel (as in Xel-Ha) is often [pronounced](

"pronounced") “shell-ha”. So…maybe it’s “shoe-kwat-ul”?

 

The question now is: How will it be pronounced in four languages, when localized for the game? :D

 

[Justine.6351]

If it helps, I pronounce it whatever way I feel like to myself.

 

ick-quatl.

 

If you cannot pronounce it, just make those letters silent !

[Cronos.6532]

Shzi-yu-kwat-ul if it's Chinese, zi-yu-kwat-ul otherwise

[Batel.9206]

Zhee-oo-kwat-ul? I think?

 

"Little bitty flying baby snake so kitten adorable" is also good, though a bit of a mouthful... :tongue:

[Cevlakohn.2165]

> @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > @"Eekasqueak.7850" said:

> > > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > > @"Talindra.4958" said:

> > > > > @"Malediktus.9250" said:

> > > > > shi-u-ktl

> > > > >

> > > > > http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

> > > > >

> > > > > since it is an obvious mayan name, that should help

> > > >

> > > > i don't think it is mayan :P the creature looks more eastern mythology creatures

> > > >

> > > > update: ah i just did a google search on mayan myth creatures.. maybe it is.. argh.. we need dev to explain & reveal how she/he come up with this lol i am going nuts

> > >

> > > I do not know if the creature is mayan, but the name is. Same with Tequatl for example

> >

> > Thought Tequatl was Aztec, also the Mayans died out before the colonization of the Americas so where would you get pronunciation from?

>

> I think there are still thousands (millions?) of people who speak mayan languages. But now that you say it, I am not exactly sure on the difference between aztec and mayan languages, but since they are from roughly the same area, they are probably related to each other.

 

You don't have to wonder: they are not, at least not demonstrably. Nahuatl belongs to the Uto-Aztecan language family, most of the members of which are/were spoken farther to the north: Ute, Comanche, Paiute, Hopi, and so on. Mayan comprises its own language family, separate and (as far as is known) unrelated. It's possible that you might find some sources that say they belong to the same superfamily, such as Joseph Greenberg's "Amerind" hypothesis, or some other macrofamily from the days of Franz Boas and Edward Sapir, when Americanist linguists were much "lumpier" than they are now. But modern linguists tend to be skeptical about these claims.

 

Also, no, "Xiuquatl" is definitely not Mayan (or fake-Mayan): it is rather clearly supposed to be (fake-)Nahuatl. You can tell because of the -tl ending, which is commonly found terminating nouns in the Nahuatl language, and *not* in the Mayan languages. If I recall correctly, it's essentially a "non-possessed" marker... don't quote me on that though :).

 

The alternative of course is to just say it's a made-up fantasy video game name, and its pronunciation has nothing to do with real-world languages. *If* however one appeals to real languages, it's better to have one's facts be correct :).