[Lanen Kaelar 01] - Song in the Silence (65 page)

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

As a translator/transcriber, I feel the
frustration common to all those faced with similar
difficulties. The jaws, throats,
teeth and tongues of Dragons are vastly different from those of
humans. It is
not, therefore, surprising to realise that the written forms of these names are
approximations
only. The names of Dragons are not commonly known, nor are they often
seen in
print! I have therefore attempted to spell them as they are pronounced. Often
in
English
there are graphs (letters) that are present for historical purposes; this is
not the case
with
Dragon names in this volume.

Vowels are essentially those of Italian or
Hawaiian, each with a consistent value and always
pronounced. A rough guide would be:

a = ah, as in father

e = ay, as in say

i = ee, as in see

o = oh, as in vote

u = oo, as in true Consonants are essentially as
in English, with a few exceptions:

K before a vowel is always followed by an
aspirant (h) R, unless initial, is always “soft” and
slightly
rolled Labials (m, p, b) are generally unpronounceable by Dragons without a great
deal of
practice, with one exception. The “m” of Mirazhe’s name is so written
to indicate the
nearest
English equivalent of the actual sound, which is very like a nasal liquid.
Lanen heard
it
as “m.”

The plosive that occurs between s and r
(-khistri-, -issdra-) may be represented by either d or t
in
English—the pronunciation lies somewhere between.

Hadretikantishikrar
(Hah-dray-tee-khan-tee-shee-krahr), primary accent on the last syllable,
strong
secondary on the first, weak secondary accent on the fourth. Usename
Shikrar
,
accent
on
the second syllable. He also has a formal usename,
Hadreshikrar
(Hah-dray-shee-krahr),
accent
on the third syllable.

Iderrikanterrisai
(Ee-deh-ree-kahn-teh-ree-sah-ee). Primary accent on the last syllable, strong
secondary on
the first, weak secondary on the fourth. Use name
Idai
(Ee-dah-ee), accent on
the second
syllable. Formal usename,
Iderrisai
(Ee-deh-ree-sah-ee), accent on the
penultimate
syllable.

Khétrikharissdra
(Khay-tree-khar-eess-drah).
Primary accent on the penultimate syllable,
secondary on both first and second.
Usename
Kédra
(kay-drah), accent on the first syllable.

Khordeshkhistriakhor
is pronounced roughly, in
English (core-desh-kiss-tree-ah-core), with
the primary accent on the penultimate
syllable and a secondary accent on the first syllable.
His usename,
Akor
, is pronounced
[ah-core], accent on the first syllable. The fact that
Lanen’s pronunciation of his name is
written without the aspirant throughout indicates that
she could not reproduce the aspirant,
or indeed was unaware of its existence. A diminutive
of his name,
Akhorishaan
(Ah-core-ee-shaan), is occasionally used.

Lanen
There appears to be some confusion as to
the proper pronunciation of
Lanen
‘s name. It
is pronounced (lah-nen ky-lar). The
accent is on the first syllable for both names. And since
English does
not often make use of the “ae” spelling, it should be noted that the
first syllable,
Kae
, rhymes with sky.

Mirazheshakramene
(Mee-rah-zhay-shah-krah-may-nay). The primary accent, again, is on the
next-to-last
syllable, with a secondary accent on the second syllable. Her usename,
Mirazhe
, is simply the first three syllables of
her name, accent on the second syllable,

Shurishkerrikaan
(Shoo-reesh-kher-ree-kahn).
Primary accent on the last syllable, secondary
on both first and second. Usename
Rishkaan
(Reesh-kahn), accent on the second syllable.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I
count myself fortunate to have been the recipient of so much love and support
from so many good friends over the years. I cannot possobly say in this small
space the thanks I owe to them all, but let me do what I may.

A
deep bow and thousands thanks to Claire Eddy of Tor Books for taking on the
mammoth task of breaking in a new writer, for her encouragement in the face of
endless revisions, and for being willing to take a chance o my work. Thanks also
to Betty Ballantine for making the time and taking the trouble to read the
original manuscript and pass it on, and again to Deborah Turner Harris for
well-timed kick in my direction and a kindly word in Betty’s hear.

And, in chronological order
—
thanks
to Sue Davis Claus for putting up with me and this story from the very beginning,
and for being the inspiration for “Mead Paul and Brandy,” where this all started
(and Sue, here is your formal apology for the time I knocked you over in my rush
for a pen and a paper); to James Quinck, my hanai brother, for his constant love
and support over the long years; to the late Harry Phelps, for confidence in my
work and belief in myself; to Mary and the late Curtis Scott, for their solid
friendship and for reading my short story and telling me it was a nce sketch,
but when was I going to write the book; to Jan Buckley for reading damn near
every version (now
that
is friendship) and telling me she enjoyed it; and
to Betsy Palmer, soul-sister, patient friend and teacher, for throwing me a rope
when I most needed it.

Thanks , guys.

—Elizabeth