Mul? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Mul?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Mar 10, 2004 12:43:19 How do you pronounce "mul"? Is it pronounced "mule," or is it pronounced "muhl"? I've never seen a pronunciation guide for this word, and I've been gaming Dark Sun since the very earliest begining.

--just idly curious NB
#2
Kamelion
Mar 10, 2004 13:08:46 I say muhl. Dunno why. Probably coz the other one sounds like a donkey.
#3
dawnstealer
Mar 10, 2004 13:23:51 I also say muhl, but, officially, it's pronounced "mule," exactly like the donkey. Basically, a mule is a sterile workhorse. Sound familiar? The name isn't an accident. Even so, m-OOL sounds better, phonetically, than ME-yool. To me, at least.
#4
bengeldorn
Mar 10, 2004 13:31:46 Aren't muls and mules both stubborn creatures? ;)
#5
Kamelion
Mar 10, 2004 14:01:15 I had always wondered if there was some reference to "mulato" going on (not just donkeys, in other words...)
#6
zombiegleemax
Mar 10, 2004 14:14:34 mulato means donkey too, that is why mulato is not on u.s. census (or would it be censai )

Bi-Racial is the pc term
#7
Kamelion
Mar 10, 2004 14:35:08 Yeah, I just meant with the pronunciation Very un-pc too, I know - sorta fits the DS atmos in a twisted way.
#8
elonarc
Mar 10, 2004 15:18:40 In German it can just be pronounced m-OOL, but I often wondered how it might be pronounced in English (because of the mul-mule thing).
#9
jon_oracle_of_athas
Mar 11, 2004 8:20:28 The original DS boxed set actually had a misspelling so it included both mul and mule.

In Norwegian we pronounce it straight - 'mul', but most of you probably wouldn't be able to replicate that sound.

Elonarc, nicht wie 'müll'? :D
#10
elonarc
Mar 11, 2004 12:11:08
Elonarc, nicht wie 'müll'?

Would make a nice way to start trouble...

[zu einem Mul-Gladiator]
"Hey Du Müll! Ja, Du! Komm mal her!"
#11
dawnstealer
Mar 11, 2004 12:42:38 Actually, that's pretty close to how I pronounce it. Oh, and to the earlier question, phonetically, I pronounce "Tyr:" "TEA-er".
#12
zombiegleemax
Mar 23, 2004 14:19:13 Mul is pronounced like the animal, Mule (They're both sterile as well...)

Tyr could go either way. I've always pronounced it "Teer".
#13
Sonja
Mar 23, 2004 14:42:32 What source says it's officially pronounced exactly like "mule"?
#14
zombiegleemax
Mar 23, 2004 15:08:46 IIRC, the copy of the original boxed set I owned (first printing, when it first came out) had it in the description of the mul race. In the first paragraph, it said in paranthesis that it was pronounced MUL (with a bar over the U).

I remember my friend correcting me on this, as I had pronounced it Muhl (like "pull") originally.
#15
Sonja
Mar 23, 2004 15:16:50 Yes, according to the AD&D 2e Dark Sun Boxed Set Rules Book, page 14, mul is pronounced "mül".

But what the heck does ü mean? It could be mule, as you suggest. It could also be mool.

In Merriam-Webster's phonetic system, ü is used to represent the vowel in words like pool or ghoul. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/pronguide.htm

If they had intended for mul to be pronounced mull or muhl, I would assume they'd have given no indication of its pronunciation, as it would be the most intuitive English pronunciation and would not require any further clarification.

If only they had said the word was pronounced like mool, mule or mull. It would have been waaay more clear than this mysterious mül, which doesn't mean anything in English. :P
#16
zombiegleemax
Mar 23, 2004 16:14:46 What I mean is in the printing I had it had a bar (to show a long vowel), not an umlaut like what you have in yours.
#17
Sonja
Mar 23, 2004 16:27:57 Oh interesting. It was an umlaut in the PDF I had, but maybe they changed it to fit the charset.

That "bar" symbol usually indicates a long vowel, e.g. in Latin or Japanese. This would definitely rule out the muhl or mull theory.

All that's left is mool and mule. :P

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Mar 10, 2004 12:43:19	How do you pronounce "mul"? Is it pronounced "mule," or is it pronounced "muhl"? I've never seen a pronunciation guide for this word, and I've been gaming Dark Sun since the very earliest begining. --just idly curious NB
#2 Kamelion Mar 10, 2004 13:08:46	I say muhl. Dunno why. Probably coz the other one sounds like a donkey.
#3 dawnstealer Mar 10, 2004 13:23:51	I also say muhl, but, officially, it's pronounced "mule," exactly like the donkey. Basically, a mule is a sterile workhorse. Sound familiar? The name isn't an accident. Even so, m-OOL sounds better, phonetically, than ME-yool. To me, at least.
#4 bengeldorn Mar 10, 2004 13:31:46	Aren't muls and mules both stubborn creatures? ;)
#5 Kamelion Mar 10, 2004 14:01:15	I had always wondered if there was some reference to "mulato" going on (not just donkeys, in other words...)
#6 zombiegleemax Mar 10, 2004 14:14:34	mulato means donkey too, that is why mulato is not on u.s. census (or would it be censai ) Bi-Racial is the pc term
#7 Kamelion Mar 10, 2004 14:35:08	Yeah, I just meant with the pronunciation Very un-pc too, I know - sorta fits the DS atmos in a twisted way.
#8 elonarc Mar 10, 2004 15:18:40	In German it can just be pronounced m-OOL, but I often wondered how it might be pronounced in English (because of the mul-mule thing).
#9 jon_oracle_of_athas Mar 11, 2004 8:20:28	The original DS boxed set actually had a misspelling so it included both mul and mule. In Norwegian we pronounce it straight - 'mul', but most of you probably wouldn't be able to replicate that sound. Elonarc, nicht wie 'müll'? :D
#10 elonarc Mar 11, 2004 12:11:08	Elonarc, nicht wie 'müll'? Would make a nice way to start trouble... [zu einem Mul-Gladiator] "Hey Du Müll! Ja, Du! Komm mal her!"
#11 dawnstealer Mar 11, 2004 12:42:38	Actually, that's pretty close to how I pronounce it. Oh, and to the earlier question, phonetically, I pronounce "Tyr:" "TEA-er".
#12 zombiegleemax Mar 23, 2004 14:19:13	Mul is pronounced like the animal, Mule (They're both sterile as well...) Tyr could go either way. I've always pronounced it "Teer".
#13 Sonja Mar 23, 2004 14:42:32	What source says it's officially pronounced exactly like "mule"?
#14 zombiegleemax Mar 23, 2004 15:08:46	IIRC, the copy of the original boxed set I owned (first printing, when it first came out) had it in the description of the mul race. In the first paragraph, it said in paranthesis that it was pronounced MUL (with a bar over the U). I remember my friend correcting me on this, as I had pronounced it Muhl (like "pull") originally.
#15 Sonja Mar 23, 2004 15:16:50	Yes, according to the AD&D 2e Dark Sun Boxed Set Rules Book, page 14, mul is pronounced "mül". But what the heck does ü mean? It could be mule, as you suggest. It could also be mool. In Merriam-Webster's phonetic system, ü is used to represent the vowel in words like pool or ghoul. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/pronguide.htm If they had intended for mul to be pronounced mull or muhl, I would assume they'd have given no indication of its pronunciation, as it would be the most intuitive English pronunciation and would not require any further clarification. If only they had said the word was pronounced like mool, mule or mull. It would have been waaay more clear than this mysterious mül, which doesn't mean anything in English. :P
#16 zombiegleemax Mar 23, 2004 16:14:46	What I mean is in the printing I had it had a bar (to show a long vowel), not an umlaut like what you have in yours.
#17 Sonja Mar 23, 2004 16:27:57	Oh interesting. It was an umlaut in the PDF I had, but maybe they changed it to fit the charset. That "bar" symbol usually indicates a long vowel, e.g. in Latin or Japanese. This would definitely rule out the muhl or mull theory. All that's left is mool and mule. :P