HOUSE review; quick KNIFE-related poll

[rj_anderson]

This week's House = best episode of the last two seasons. Also, my love for Kutner is so great it may explode my brain. SF geeks unite!

And now before I head off to NYC for the weekend, because nothing says love like a poll --

[Poll #1135153]

I am so excited about meeting yahtzee63 tonight in person! Not to mention my editor. And my agent. And a bunch of other folks. I just hope I don't end up getting the same thing that kept my five-year-old up all last night, retching pathetically into a margarine tub. That would be... not good. (He's better now, though, so at least I can content myself that it's short-lived.)

Comments

[ljrags.livejournal.com]

Have a wonderful time!

[yunitsa.livejournal.com]

Though I sort of have to force myself in both cases, on the basis that a "wynd" (as in alley) is pronounced with a long i, I go with Oaken-wild.

Have fun!

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Me too. I'd take the "y" as a cue that it isn't a short "i".

[jamesbow.livejournal.com]

I liked the finale, although Erin says that there was too much subtext becoming text (I'm not sure what that means), but I preferred the Antarctica episode. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[jamesbow.livejournal.com]

P.S. I'd say "oaken-wild".

Or possibly just "fred". :-)

[ozratbag2.livejournal.com]

From the scant bits of Old/Middle English that I remember, if you'd spelt it Oakenwald, then it would be prounounced Oaken-walled. So, having the Y makes it Oaken-Willed...and that probably makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. ;)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Probably not, but I've always thought of it as "oaken-willed" too. It was just the other day that I realized most people would probably say "wild" and I might need to make a mental adjustment.

[ozratbag2.livejournal.com]

I must admit, I did have to sit and mentally say the word several times, but I suppose it depends what era you're setting the character in - as that will ultimately decide how to pronounce it. :)

[snickelish.livejournal.com]

It's your story; you can pronounce it any way you want. :) I wanted an option 5 in the poll: "It depends on the day." But I suspect most days I'd pronounce it "oaken-willed" because I tend to, um, de-emphasize vowels that I'm not sure how to pronounce.

[harriet-wimsey.livejournal.com]

Ditto to all of that. Maybe you can give a prominent (or rather, something to provide a small clip to put on the website) interview at the book release where you're heard to pronounce it.

[infiniteviking]

Hm, at first blush I'd apply the same rule as used with "fiendfyre"; i.e. it looks like "fiendfire" with a y. But fantasy books always have words with variable pronunciation -- it took me ages to figure out Oin and Gloin, but then I was only seven -- and in the end, your canon is up to you.

Have a fantastic time in NYC!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Have a great time! I am sorry I won't (as it seems) be able to meet you - I am working Saturday - but you've got my phone number, right? And stay healthy! There is actually a lot of this bug going around here in NY, too - it's racing through the schools, and one of my colleagues had something like it a couple of weeks ago.

As to the word, I was initially coming at it from a (modern) German perspective. A "y" is the same as a "u" umlaut, so you should pronounce it as follows: purse your lips as if you were going to whistle and say "ee" (as in long "i" - Germanic - or "eek!" ). From a modern U.S. perspective, I'd think it rhymes with "mild" - a long "i" in modern English. So that's what I voted for.

[snickelish.livejournal.com]

And on House, yes, didn't that rock when Kutner started talking about how the guys with $600 prosthetic ears embarrass the rest of us? Who but tightropegirl would make that kind of fannish distinction? And I still can't decide whether she totally subverted the House/Wilson thing or just handed it to the slash ficcers on a silver platter. Either way, I was pretty amused.

As for best of the last two seasons, well, I really liked "Ugly" a lot. It'd be a tough decision. But I think most of this season has been better than anything last season.

[camillofan.livejournal.com]

Re. House: Like jamesbow above, I think I preferred the South Pole episode... but they were two excellent ones in a row, and the Secret Santa one from the week before wasn't half bad, either. I love the new assistants, and am just as happy to have the House/Wilson thing said out loud.

Oaken-willed, of course (reader's instinct; no rationale to offer).

[newport2newport.livejournal.com]

Oaken-wild for me, but I could be convinced otherwise.

I LOVE your new icon!!!!

[leah-s.livejournal.com]

Oaken -wild for me. But then, I mispronounced all those Welsh names in Lloyd Alexander's novels forever until I saw a little pronunciation guide at the end of one of his books.
And have fun in NY!!

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

So glad to hear I'm not the only one who loved this week's House. :)

[mcamy.livejournal.com]

As a British name, Wyld is pronounced "wild."

[kerravonsen]

Oooh, pretty icon of you!

Have a good time.

[rose-in-shadow.livejournal.com]

Huh. It suprises me that "wild" is the highest. Maybe I just enjoyed old English literature too much in college? :D

Honestly, my first reaction was "of course it's 'willed', what other way should it be pronounced?" Heh.

Hope you don't get sick either; have fun!