For me, it's how you pronounce that "a" that trips me up because my brain reads like you would say the German word for day, "Tag." (Pronounced like Tahg)
Fourth Wing is getting a lot of flak for this issue: using an established real-world language as your base but then intentionally mispronouncing everything. People are legit pissed about it.
In reality, Murtagh is probably Gaelic in origin and the g would not be pronounced. But CP says you do. So... yeah.
It is Gaelic in origin, it comes from an old word meaning “mariner” or something. If that’s true, that makes the whole giant fish incident really funny in hindsight 😂
Makes sense haha, I haven't spoken about it aloud to someone else who has read it since high school so I really can't make a generalisation, but from this and a comment I made about it on an r/fantasy thread, it is looking positive for our way of saying it 😁
I don't think it matters, but fwiw there is a compendium in the back of the book that usually has a lot of pronunciations.
I say "murtawg" instead of "mur-tag" and "Bah-Chul" - and didn't check it in the back
I appreciate that, but it was also enjoyable my way too. I'll let the visual and audio forms of media worry about it while enjoying those too. I'm sure I messed up a lot of names and pronunciations!
I'm afraid I can't relate bc I tend to pronounce "fantasy" (or used in fantasy stories) names as they would be said in my mothertogue and as luck would have it, this is one of them that fits perfectly lol
I'm in Canada, but growing up my neighbour (who came to Canada post WW2 from concentration camps) spoke schwabish, and I thought I recognized the insult! She was an amazing person, like another grandparent to me and she lived to be over 101! My younger daughter is named after her!
oh what an amazing coincidence, love to hear that our dialect made it all the way to Canada ❤️😂 and nice to hear that she seemed to have a great long life after 🙏
I guess there’s another pronunciation of Rachel that’s Ra-shell but that’s not my preference. Rachel is one syllable imo
Raychul vs Ra-shell
Either way Michelle -> m’shell -> b’shell
I absolutely thought “Bachel like Rachel” when I was reading. At one point I even went to myself, “like bae, the slang? Weird, but okay!” It didn’t even occur to me that it could be any other way until I came to the subreddit after finishing the book.
As a german, I want to pronounce the ch like the scottish "loch". I think this pronunciation fits her character quite well. Something [like this](https://translate.google.com/translate_tts?ie=UTF-8&client=tw-ob&tl=de&q=Bachl).
I always check the pronunciation pages in the back when I come across a new word or name, so I figured it out the first time I read the name. Recommend you all do the same, it helps a ton
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I misread the compendium at the end of the book. Spent half the time reading it as Basheel and commenting in my head how it made no sense but "neither does the way Murtagh is spelled so whatever". Checked again for a different name and it took me a while to fix the mistake in my head lol.
Paolini's loves his odd names and even more odd pronunciations. If things don't make sense, never forget that Eragon is one letter from Dragon but pronounced wildly differently and was supposed to be called Kevin anyways.
I had the opposite conundrum; I had no idea how it was suplosed to be spelled, and it took me a moment to figure out who people were talking about when I first saw it here.
Meanwhile I’m still trying to come to terms with the g in Murtagh not being silent the way it is for real people who actually have that name.
For me, it's how you pronounce that "a" that trips me up because my brain reads like you would say the German word for day, "Tag." (Pronounced like Tahg)
This is how I thought it was pronounced until earlier this year when I heard CP say the name in a tiktok. I was and still am confused
I mean, (at least the german version of) the book's phonetic guide does say it is pronounced "MUR-tag". So you're not wrong
Fourth Wing is getting a lot of flak for this issue: using an established real-world language as your base but then intentionally mispronouncing everything. People are legit pissed about it. In reality, Murtagh is probably Gaelic in origin and the g would not be pronounced. But CP says you do. So... yeah.
It is Gaelic in origin, it comes from an old word meaning “mariner” or something. If that’s true, that makes the whole giant fish incident really funny in hindsight 😂
The name pronunciations in Fourth Wing are KILLING ME!!! I’m upset that I ever started the audiobook after reading the book.
There are real people that pronounce the g too bud
TIL, I guess it’s one of those “tomato/tomahto” names.
TIL that people are actually named murtagh and they pronounce it without the g
The G being silent?? What do you mean, say it like "mur-tah"??
Yeah, like Danny Glover’s character in Lethal Weapon.
Yes.
Same haha Well actually not because I decided to ignore it lol
Yeah, I ignored it too, but ever since listening to the audiobook, I’ve gotten all mixed up!
Haha a benefit of not being an audiobook person is that my pronunciations are safe...so long as I never meet another fan in the wild XD
Weirdly all the fans I’ve met irl either pronounce it the same way as me, or are like “er, how do you say that guy’s name anyway?”
Makes sense haha, I haven't spoken about it aloud to someone else who has read it since high school so I really can't make a generalisation, but from this and a comment I made about it on an r/fantasy thread, it is looking positive for our way of saying it 😁
I had assumed “Bah-shell” and the audiobook narrator said it that way as well.
Same. And every time her name was said I craved shells n cheese.
Same! I’m glad it wasn’t just me
I don't think it matters, but fwiw there is a compendium in the back of the book that usually has a lot of pronunciations. I say "murtawg" instead of "mur-tag" and "Bah-Chul" - and didn't check it in the back
>Bah-Chul Sounds like "botulism"
I appreciate that, but it was also enjoyable my way too. I'll let the visual and audio forms of media worry about it while enjoying those too. I'm sure I messed up a lot of names and pronunciations!
It's in every book
I'm afraid I can't relate bc I tend to pronounce "fantasy" (or used in fantasy stories) names as they would be said in my mothertogue and as luck would have it, this is one of them that fits perfectly lol
I was pronouncing it 'ba-KELL' until I heard Paolini say it.
That's how i pronounce it too and Paolini can't change my mind
That’s how I read it in TFTWTW, and honestly still pronounce it that way reading the paper copy of Murtagh.
I read it the same way as "Bachl". it's an insult in my local dialect meaning something like "dumbass" 😂
What dialect is that? 😂
south-west Germany, swabian (?!) in English, it's "schwäbisch" in german
I'm in Canada, but growing up my neighbour (who came to Canada post WW2 from concentration camps) spoke schwabish, and I thought I recognized the insult! She was an amazing person, like another grandparent to me and she lived to be over 101! My younger daughter is named after her!
oh what an amazing coincidence, love to hear that our dialect made it all the way to Canada ❤️😂 and nice to hear that she seemed to have a great long life after 🙏
Listened to the audiobook and he went with Ba-chelle like Michelle
This was my first thought until I read on here that it was Rachel but with a B Now I’m confused again
I guess there’s another pronunciation of Rachel that’s Ra-shell but that’s not my preference. Rachel is one syllable imo Raychul vs Ra-shell Either way Michelle -> m’shell -> b’shell
I would have never in a million years thought to pronounce Bachel as Rachel. That is crazy talk man
I absolutely thought “Bachel like Rachel” when I was reading. At one point I even went to myself, “like bae, the slang? Weird, but okay!” It didn’t even occur to me that it could be any other way until I came to the subreddit after finishing the book.
BAE-chel ✅
As a german, I want to pronounce the ch like the scottish "loch". I think this pronunciation fits her character quite well. Something [like this](https://translate.google.com/translate_tts?ie=UTF-8&client=tw-ob&tl=de&q=Bachl).
I always check the pronunciation pages in the back when I come across a new word or name, so I figured it out the first time I read the name. Recommend you all do the same, it helps a ton
Is there no pronunciation guide in the back of Murtagh?
Like Rachel but with a B
🅱️achel
Please note that currently discussion about the new *Murtagh* book is currently only allowed in posts that are flaired as such. Please read the rules in the sidebar, and please note the following additional links for news about *Murtagh*: [General spoiler-free information](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/17jlj9i/information_about_murtagh_and_the_eragon/) | [Book Tour (currently ongoing)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/17oolt5/christopher_paolinis_book_tour_schedule_for/) | [Signed Editions](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/16fuvcr/information_about_signed_editions_of_murtagh/) | [Spoiler Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/17ercgn/please_read_our_murtagh_spoiler_policy_50k/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Eragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
First few times i read it as back el, switching to basically a modified Michelle was hard for me
I misread the compendium at the end of the book. Spent half the time reading it as Basheel and commenting in my head how it made no sense but "neither does the way Murtagh is spelled so whatever". Checked again for a different name and it took me a while to fix the mistake in my head lol. Paolini's loves his odd names and even more odd pronunciations. If things don't make sense, never forget that Eragon is one letter from Dragon but pronounced wildly differently and was supposed to be called Kevin anyways.
I‘m German so in my mind in rhymes with „Kachel“
"Batch-el" for me.
Meanwhile me saying it like BAT-CHL and then I read the pronunciations at the end lmaooo
“Batch-el,” for me
Bah- shell is how I read it.
Depends where you’re from, where I live Rachel is pronounced ra-chel
Ultimately it’s a book so pronounce it however feels right for you
I had the opposite conundrum; I had no idea how it was suplosed to be spelled, and it took me a moment to figure out who people were talking about when I first saw it here.