It seems that to rhyme with "dull" is wrong, and that it must either sound exactly like the word "mule" (myool), or rhyme with "fool" (mool), or rhyme with "full" (mool, with shorter vowel).
Do we have anything that proves it one way or another? I'm not interested in how you like to pronounce it, but in any official documents or sources that could help us either way.
There was prior discussion of this but no conclusion here: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=198560
If only we could call up Timothy Brown and ask him!
Sonja in Toronto, Canada
One Poké-point awarded.
A mul (pronounced: mül) is an incredibly tough
crossbreed of a human and dwarf.
Same as mule.
That's nice and all, but what is this symbol supposed to mean? It's not an actual phonetic symbol that's defined anywhere.
What makes you say that the letter u with an accent on top indicates that it's like "mule" and definitely not like "gull", "pull" or "fool"?
i always pronounced it mul like dull. i dont know why. maybe its a matter of choice even in the DS world. i mean why not. we dont know why should they. in different parts of athas is pronounced different, thats my opinion.
Same here, though all in all, I don't really like the name "mul", however you like to pronounce it, for a pc race. Oh, I understand the logic of it, and could see it used as a derogatory term for them, but it just seemed to me that it wasn't the right flavor for the setting. IMHO of course.
Same here, though all in all, I don't really like the name "mul", however you like to pronounce it, for a pc race. Oh, I understand the logic of it, and could see it used as a derogatory term for them, but it just seemed to me that it wasn't the right flavor for the setting. IMHO of course.
yea but as you said it really says something about them. like bastard sons. after all a mule is a hybrid between horse and donkey (i think).
mul can be an insult also on athas: mul=bastard.
j0lt, apparently it's u with dieresis (two dots, aka umlaut) in the PDF version. But in the original book (which I don't have), I've been told it's u with macron (horizontal line over the u). So if this is true, then the PDF version's change from macron to dieresis was perhaps due to charset problem.
This is indeed the case. The original Dark Sun rulebook uses the macron, and the PDF version has the dieresis. Strange.
That's nice and all, but what is this symbol supposed to mean? It's not an actual phonetic symbol that's defined anywhere.
It means that the PDF version is silly, or for some reason unable to reproduce the macron as you suggested. The macron indicates a long vowel sound, such as "a" in "fake" or "o" in "hope." The dieresis is almost never used in English anymore, but it indicates that the second of two vowel sounds is to be pronounced. The only word I can think of off the top of my head that still uses the dieresis is "naïve."
What makes you say that the letter u with an accent on top indicates that it's like "mule" and definitely not like "gull", "pull" or "fool"?
Well, the macron on top of the "u" indicates a long "u" sound like in the word "mule." Since the original box uses the macron, it is pretty safe to conclude that the word is supposed to be pronounced as "mule." The dieresis in the PDF version has to be a mistake, because it is out of place considering its intended use - i.e. the "u" doesn't follow a vowel in the first place.
j0lt, apparently it's u with dieresis (two dots, aka umlaut) in the PDF version. But in the original book (which I don't have), I've been told it's u with macron (horizontal line over the u). So if this is true, then the PDF version's change from macron to dieresis was perhaps due to charset problem.
That's nice and all, but what is this symbol supposed to mean? It's not an actual phonetic symbol that's defined anywhere.
What makes you say that the letter u with an accent on top indicates that it's like "mule" and definitely not like "gull", "pull" or "fool"?
Ask someone who speaks fluent German what the dieresis/umlaut does to the pronunciation of a letter.
That, and I'm an English teacher. :P
Ask someone who speaks fluent German what the dieresis/umlaut does to the pronunciation of a letter.
*snickers*
Except for Elonarc, I don´t think any of you will be able to pronounce how I say mul or Draj, nor do I think I can describe it. :P
A mule is a crossbreed between a horse and a donkey. A mule is used as a tireless workhorse, and they're also sterile.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mule
I think that pretty much sums it up in my book. I call them mul, and pronounce them "mule."
-Von
Ask someone who speaks fluent German what the dieresis/umlaut does to the pronunciation of a letter.
That, and I'm an English teacher. :P
[FONT="Times New Roman"][i]
VonZrucker is correct.
yes from a vocabulary perspective and correct pronunciation in English language. but i still stick to my theory that in various parts of Athas different creatures call muls by there way of pronunciation. the fact that the common language isnt so much spread as in other settings strengthens the theory.
A mul is a crossbreed of a human and a dwarf. It explains them to be tireless workhorses who are sterile.
A mule is a crossbreed between a horse and a donkey. A mule is used as a tireless workhorse, and they're also sterile.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mule
I think that pretty much sums it up in my book. I call them mul, and pronounce them "mule."
-Von
I have all the original books (been playing since the start of the setting) and there is a long line over the "u". The word is actually the same as the Old English word for "mule", spelled "mul" with the line over the "u". So "myool" is the correct pronunciation.
It is designed to reflect what Von points out and, if I remember correctly, Troy Denning even stated this on a early mail-post (the archaic precursor to forums) that I belonging to for many years. For then, as it is now, a much debated topic. Ah, how some things do not change.
Live long and hard you fans of Athas!