How to pronounce the names of the creators of Star Wars?

Author: CatBus
Date: 20-Oct-2014, 1:58 PM

Author: CatBus
Time: 20-Oct-2014 1:58 PM
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One of my failings is that I've never really cared to listen to a commentary track or behind-the-scenes making-of featurette about Star Wars. As such, I've never really heard the correct way to pronounce many of the names behind it.

Can anyone provide guidance with the following?

Leigh Brackett (sounds like "Lee"?)

Richard Marquand (sounds like "Mark-AND"?)

Howard Kazanjian (sounds like "Kaz-AN-jee-an"?)

Ian McDiarmid (sounds like "Mick-DUR-mid"?)

All of the others seem fairly self-explanatory, but if you know of any that have a very counter-intuitive pronunciation, go ahead and let me know that too.

Author: RicOlie_2
Time: 20-Oct-2014 5:27 PM (Edited)
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Jorj LOO-kuhs

Mahrk HAM-uhl

CAIR-ee FISH-er

HAIR-is-son Fohrd

AN-thuh-nee DAN-yuhlz

KEN-nee Bayk-er

I hope that helps you somewhat. Also, I believe Marquand is pronounced "MAHR-kwahnd".

Author: The Shade
Time: 20-Oct-2014 7:08 PM
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When I see Richard Marquand's name, the French speaking person in me wants to pronounce him in French, even though I know he's British. I think it's the spelling that confuses me.

Author: RicOlie_2
Time: 20-Oct-2014 7:22 PM
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I find that I keep wanting to pronounce words with Frenchy spellings the French way too, now that I'm living in Québec. Because I've only been here a short while, I'm trying to build my vocabulary by reciting a list of words and their translations every night. Sometimes I find that I'm pronouncing all the English words as if they were French and have to start over. :P

Also, CatBus, I believe the Leigh rhymes with sleigh.

Author: CatBus
Time: 20-Oct-2014 7:52 PM
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Aggh, conflicting opinions on Leigh's name (Molly offered "Lee" in another thread). Anyone got anything authoritative on that one for a tiebreaker? Or a podcast we can listen to to find out for ourselves?

Author: m_s0
Time: 21-Oct-2014 9:37 AM (Edited)
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CatBus said:

Aggh, conflicting opinions on Leigh's name (Molly offered "Lee" in another thread). Anyone got anything authoritative on that one for a tiebreaker? Or a podcast we can listen to to find out for ourselves?

Well, I have it on good authority that it's spelled 'Leigh,' but it's actually pronounced 'Throatwobbler Mangrove.'

Anyway, the only truly reliable source would be the owner herself. Everyone else is just going to pronounce it however they please, and that may not be accurate, regardless of whether the pronunciation is technically correct or not. Case in point: Ralph Fiennes. Or 'Rayph,' as he prefers to call himself in speaking.

RicOlie_2 said:

Also, CatBus, I believe the Leigh rhymes with sleigh.

I'd vote for that as well. Lee and Leigh are relatively similar-sounding so it would make more sense to me to accentuate the difference between the two in pronunciation. But like I said above: your best bet is to find a clip of the owner pronouncing it herself.

Author: canofhumdingers
Time: 21-Oct-2014 10:17 AM
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The people I've known in real life named Leigh always pronounced it "lee". Never heard anyone pronounce it like the word sleigh.

Author: m_s0
Time: 21-Oct-2014 10:45 AM
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I have, but it was a pretty subtle difference (so not "lay"). Somewhere in between that and "Lee." I wonder what the statistics are. No, seriously.

Author: CatBus
Time: 21-Oct-2014 11:54 AM
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I'd be satisfied hearing people who had worked with Leigh pronouncing Leigh. Presumably if they pronounced it too badly when they worked together, she'd have corrected them. That's why I was interested in seeing if anyone heard it during a commentary track or making-of featurette, even if it was someone else talking.

But yeah, point taken about people and their weird-ass pronunciations.

Author: Darth Lars
Time: 22-Oct-2014 4:09 PM
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BTW. Brian Muir's last name rhymes with "pure". (I had asked him.)

Author: pyrocles
Time: 14-Nov-2014 3:32 PM
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According to Encyclopedia.com, citing "Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia," Leigh Brackett's name is pronounced "Lee BRACK-it."

Author: Darth Id
Time: 14-Nov-2014 3:41 PM
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George Lucas = "Luk'-ee Ta'-lent-less Hak"

Author: RicOlie_2
Time: 14-Nov-2014 3:48 PM
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I think it's highly unfair to Lucas to say he didn't have talent. He may have lost it when the prequels came, or perhaps he needed other people to balance him out in some areas, but didn't have them during prequel production, but to say that he didn't have talent...

Author: Darth Id
Time: 14-Nov-2014 3:50 PM
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Hey don't blame me. I think it's Norwegian. The "G" is silent.

Author: CatBus
Time: 14-Nov-2014 4:11 PM
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pyrocles said:

According to Encyclopedia.com, citing "Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia," Leigh Brackett's name is pronounced "Lee BRACK-it."

Thanks much, that's the one I was least certain about, at least in terms of getting close enough not to raise the ire of someone who knew the correct pronunciation.

I'll peek through encyclopedia.com and see if I can find others not mentioned elsewhere.

Author: Bingowings
Time: 28-Nov-2014 4:49 PM
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One that is bound to annoy me for months to come.

Max Von Sydow is pronounced Max Von Sidoff not "Sid-Ow"

Thank heavens Vincent Van Gogh never made a Star Wars film (it's Van Gokk not Go or Goff BTW).

Author: walking_carpet
Time: 28-Nov-2014 6:11 PM
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Bingowings said:

One that is bound to annoy me for months to come.

Max Von Sydow is pronounced Max Von Sidoff not "Sid-Ow"

Really? wow thats been a misunderstanding...for almost his entire 50 year career probably ;P

click here if lack of OOT got you down

Author: DuracellEnergizer
Time: 28-Nov-2014 8:52 PM
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I've been pronouncing it "sigh-dow" myself.

Author: darklordoftech
Time: 28-Nov-2014 10:45 PM
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DuracellEnergizer said:

I've been pronouncing it "sigh-dow" myself.

I prefer "dow" as the ending because it allows for Naga Sadow jokes

Author: need_93
Time: 29-Oct-2015 5:53 PM (Edited)
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Author: TM2YC
Time: 29-Oct-2015 6:40 PM (Edited)
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Deleted.

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.

Author: TM2YC
Time: 29-Oct-2015 6:40 PM (Edited)
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Leigh Brackett = I’m 99% sure it’s “Lee”. Leigh is quite a common name and it’s always prounced this way in my experience.

Richard Marquand = It’s pronounced as it’s written with the Q. “Mark-Wand”.

“Kaz-AN-jee-an”? = Correct. Although the “Jee-an” would probably roll off the tongue as just “Jan”.

Ian McDiarmid = It’s “Muck-Dear-Mid” from all the times I’ve heard it said. “Mc” is sometimes pronounced “Mac” (Like with my name) but in this case it’s “Muc”.

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.