I was taken aback by the name too.
Heh-- when I blogged earlier today about choosing your favored reading by genre or by author, one of my main complaints about fantasy and sci-fi as a whole has to do with the whole extensive world-building and unusual naming practices.
Not knowing how to pronounce a name is the sort of thing that would drive me SO barmy that I wouldn't be able to enjoy any of the rest of the book.
Which is probably more a failing on my part as a reader than on the author, but it's just one of those quirks, I guess.
How do you pronounce "Kvothe"?
I was thinking "Kee-vothe", or assuming an apostrophe between the K and vothe.
Kuh-vothe. Same way it's spelled.
Of course, I also tend to read in a sort of hieroglyphic way, where a word doesn't represent a sound but the shape of the letters represents the thing, so the pronunciation of a name never bothers me. The character is the shape of the word that is his name.
One of the things that will put me off a book is when it has a long section either at the front or back explaining a convoluted pronunciation guide. Seriously people, either spell it out phonetically or name everyone things like John and Mary. Almost as annoying is when someone does spell the names with long versions of easily pronouncible names complicated with silent letters or - shades of SG1! - added apostrophes or something.
maybe it rhymes with Goethe
Almost as annoying is when someone does spell the names with long versions of easily pronouncible names complicated with silent letters or - shades of SG1! - added apostrophes or something.
I dislike the added apostrophes approach. It's roughly equivalent in my brain to purposeful misspellings in advertising to catch your attention. Cheap and cheesy. T'leac, your faux exoticism is tiresome! I hereby redub you: Bob.
T'leac, your faux exoticism is tiresome! I hereby redub you: Bob.
Hec owes me a roll of paper towels and a fresh Diet Coke.
Chicago or original German pronunciation?
My favorite sports sign ever was when the Minnesota Twins had Kent Hrbek at first base and Gary Gaetti at third.
Some Twin fan held up a sign that said: "Hrbek! Buy a vowel from Gaetti!"
I think of this whenever I found vowel deficient aliens and exoticants (vamps, elves, etc.).
