Official Pronunciation of Xiuquatl ?

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Gaile Gray.6029" said:

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

>

 

In theory, everyone will mispronounce it equally well, as they attempt to transliterate the same IPA pronunciation into their native tongue.

 

However, since it's a made up word (albeit inspired by Nahuatl), I think Misters Abernathy & Stein get to decide. Since they can't agree, they should settle it in the time-honored fashion for dispute resolution: PvP death match, with any build they like so long as it has scepter main for all weapon swaps.

[DeceiverX.8361]

> @"Cevlakohn.2165" said:

> > @"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.

>

 

> 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.

 

Generally beat me to this.

 

Pronunciation based on Nahuatl would besomething like 'SHEE-ew-KAH-tull' with a lack of emphasis on the vowel 'u' if I'm not mistaken.

[Clyan.1593]

zee-oo-kwatl

[Plautze.6290]

> @"Thedenofsin.7340" said:

> > @"Gaile Gray.6029" said:

> > I have not asked, but I say: zwee-KWAT-l

> >

> > ~trots off to ask Narrative if they have an official answer~

>

> I'm sure that's how zee Germans say it! Ya?

>

> Und now, ve make zee new zepter. Zay guten tag to zwee-kwat-l!

 

Dat 'Genglish' skill made my day!

And it's not just a cliche, some Germans do indeed speak English like that ... I witnessed it first hand and my toes curled.

 

'Nao zis is vat ve ah looking foa. Zank yu verry mutsh.' *shudders*

 

I'd also pronounce it Chee-KWAT-L. Don't ask me why.

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"Tommo Chocolate.5870" said:

> Does being central American make it easier?

 

Probably, since U.S. Americans pronounce _everything_ like it was (American) English. Even when they try not to, most just don't have an ear for foreign language or don't care about the correct pronunciation of names at all, even when it comes to foreign celebrities living in their country. ;)

 

My first run-in with that was the 1990's tv show "Xena: Warrior Princess", where literally _every_ name was mispronounced awfully, starting with the heroine of the show. When you write and produce a tv show about Greek heroes and gods, even if it is campy and cheap, you should do your homework.

[Danikat.8537]

> @"Cevlakohn.2165" said:

> 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 :).

 

That reminds me (and I can't believe it's taken this long for this to be posted):

 


 

[Pifil.5193]

> @"DeceiverX.8361" said:

> > @"Cevlakohn.2165" said:

> > > @"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.

> >

>

> > 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.

>

> Generally beat me to this.

>

> Pronunciation based on Nahuatl would besomething like 'SHEE-ew-KAH-tull' with a lack of emphasis on the vowel 'u' if I'm not mistaken.

 

Sounds good to me! Fake Nahuatl FTW!

[aikatara.3462]

> @"DeceiverX.8361" said:

> Generally beat me to this.

>

> Pronunciation based on Nahuatl would be something like 'SHEE-ew-KAH-tull' with a lack of emphasis on the vowel 'u' if I'm not mistaken.

 

I do not speak any Nahuatl, nor Spanish or Chinese for that matter, but according to some googling the official IPA-code for the "tl" in the word Nahuatl is apparently that: T͡ɬ, which sounds incredibly difficult to pronounce in my untrained, none-linguistic ears (sound [example ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolar_lateral_affricate "example ") on wikipedia). If this pronounciation is the "correct" way to pronounce the tl, the word "Nahuatl" should sound something alike the third example on [this](https://forvo.com/word/n%C4%81huatl/#nah "this") website.

 

I think I do not even try to incorporate this sound in the name Xiuquatl =) . I think I rather stick to "fake-Nahuatl" and pronounce it either "SHEE-ew-KAH-tul"/"Shoo-KAH-tul" or "Shee-ew-KAH-t"/Shoo-KAH-t" or whatever pronounciation the writers prefer (it's their name after all) ;) .

 

Side fact: There is apparently a young environmental activist from Colorado called Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, who, according to the [bBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34974337/xiuhtezcatl-martinez-the-15-year-old-rapping-about-climate-change "BBC"), "a descendent of Meshika or Aztec people" and has Nahuatl first name. According to the BBC he himself said that is first name is pronounced "shoo-tez-cat".

 

I may have spent too much time on this subject ;) , but I always find it fascinating when I stumple across a language with sounds I have never heard before and cannot possibly hope to reproduce :). Nahuatl appears to be one of those languages.

 

 

 

[Tommo Chocolate.5870]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"Tommo Chocolate.5870" said:

> > Does being central American make it easier?

>

> Probably, since U.S. Americans pronounce _everything_ like it was (American) English. Even when they try not to, most just don't have an ear for foreign language or don't care about the correct pronunciation of names at all, even when it comes to foreign celebrities living in their country. ;)

 

Fair enough. I'm British and I think UK English speakers are pretty inconsistent about whether they attempt to pronounce foreign words or names correctly. But in any case, all I meant by that comment is that Xiuquatl isn't a genuine central American word (although if you interpret it as a different transliteration of Xiuhcoatl, as some people have, then I guess it actually is).

[Orpheal.8263]

Cy-You-ka-tll would be my own attempt to pronounce it in an english sounding way based on how its writtel Xiuquatl

 

The Xi is pronounce Cy cause of the i behind the X, basically like we pronounce the word "Cyber" like in cyberspace

The U after that is a hard cut in the pronouncement, which is why it needs a strong but clear change in the voice, which is done by a simple but clean pronouncable "You".

The ending of the pronouncement is the important thign, because in it, you hear out of it, that it is a name/word/term with some kind of mexican/spanish background.

 

Some write it as quatl, some as coatl, like in Quetzalcoatl, some let somple the a away , like in Quetzalcotl, or made the Quetzalquatl out of it, similar like ANet did with Tequatl, despite that dragon having absolutely zero connection to any mexican/spanish history at all, that fits at least somehow a bit to the place, lore and moment, where he appears in teh game - to say it short, I woudl have given that dragon an other name. point.

 

However, back to the item. the Quatl in its name would i pronounce like battle, but the A in it must sound hard and loud, like basically our A in German, not that soft and silent A that English has.

 

So

 

Cy-You-Qu**a** (strong)- tll with a short extra long pronouncement on the last L (so LL), cuse that last L lasts on the tongue and isn'tz just simply spoken out briefly.

[Thedenofsin.7340]

> @"Gaile Gray.6029" said:

> 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

>

 

Hi Gaile,

 

OP of thread here. Funny, when you said you were going to ask the Narrative team, I had a funny feeling it was going to result in multiple differing opinions. These kind of light-hearted discussions are fun.

 

Has anyone looked at the scripts voiced (or written) to see if there is a pronunciation precedent established? For example, someone had mentioned that Tequatl was spoken as part of a Kylek voice dialog (verified - it happens as the Tequatl event starts). That would strongly imply 'quatl' is pronounced more or less phonetically, at least by Hyleks. Anything similar for Xui?