Topic Actions

Topic Search

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests

Audiobooks in the Honorverse

Join us in talking discussing all things Honor, including (but not limited to) tactics, favorite characters, and book discussions.
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by SWM   » Fri May 23, 2014 10:30 pm

SWM
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 5928
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:00 pm
Location: U.S. east coast

Commodore Oakius wrote:I have to say my first exposure to HH was listening to War of Honor, on audio tape, abridged, by MB. I adored it, and I think she did better reading and pronouncing then others, but I am biased because I started with her.
That being said, I have listened to all the HH books on audio, and only actually read 2 of them. I find it easier to do so then to find time to read, and it allows me to use my reading time for other things.
Now for a short "Rant":
I dislike all the a foreign accents that have crept into the readings. The way I understood the Honorverse is that each star system, while usally settled by a group predominated by a certain ethinic group, all spoke standard, and that, except on backwater, or extremely isolated places, standard was the primary language. So when people from Neuvo Paris started speaking with a french accent I was kinda irked. I was thinking that the mixing of people would have created new accents, not maintained accents from 2000 years previous. I have always thought that these polities were amalgams of people from many people immigrateing to them for the past 2000, or less, depending on the age of the colony, years.
I know that Haven was loosly based on the French, espcially the rein of terror, for many years, thus Neuvo Paris, and Manticore on Britain, but I thought that was just because of the historical political correlations. I never believed that it was meant to have maintained the accents from 2000 years ago.
Am I alone on this feeling? Or do others share it?

Actually, David Weber has indicated that the various planets do generally have recognizeable accents of various kinds.
--------------------------------------------
Librarian: The Original Search Engine
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by roseandheather   » Fri May 23, 2014 11:36 pm

roseandheather
Admiral

Posts: 2056
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:39 pm
Location: Republic of Haven

SWM wrote:
Commodore Oakius wrote:I have to say my first exposure to HH was listening to War of Honor, on audio tape, abridged, by MB. I adored it, and I think she did better reading and pronouncing then others, but I am biased because I started with her.
That being said, I have listened to all the HH books on audio, and only actually read 2 of them. I find it easier to do so then to find time to read, and it allows me to use my reading time for other things.
Now for a short "Rant":
I dislike all the a foreign accents that have crept into the readings. The way I understood the Honorverse is that each star system, while usally settled by a group predominated by a certain ethinic group, all spoke standard, and that, except on backwater, or extremely isolated places, standard was the primary language. So when people from Neuvo Paris started speaking with a french accent I was kinda irked. I was thinking that the mixing of people would have created new accents, not maintained accents from 2000 years previous. I have always thought that these polities were amalgams of people from many people immigrateing to them for the past 2000, or less, depending on the age of the colony, years.
I know that Haven was loosly based on the French, espcially the rein of terror, for many years, thus Neuvo Paris, and Manticore on Britain, but I thought that was just because of the historical political correlations. I never believed that it was meant to have maintained the accents from 2000 years ago.
Am I alone on this feeling? Or do others share it?

Actually, David Weber has indicated that the various planets do generally have recognizeable accents of various kinds.

In addition, 'New French' is a language spoken on Haven, though whether it's the primary language or not is never indicated (and in the language itself, would probably be known as Nouveau Français).
~*~


I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.

Javier & Eloise
"You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley..."
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by Dieu_Le_Fera   » Sat May 24, 2014 1:01 pm

Dieu_Le_Fera
Lieutenant (Junior Grade)

Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:15 pm
Location: Philadelphia

I am trying very hard to sit through the Saganami Island series... but yes I have to agree when I hear his female "voice" I cringe. I wish he would just read it. I think I am going to just have to buck up and read it.
"Battle Cruisers lead the way!"
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by Ensign Re-read   » Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:55 am

Ensign Re-read
Commodore

Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:24 pm

OK, real life got in the way, and I only just recently finished listening to OBS, as ready by Allyson Johnson. I agree with most people's comments about her having a good range of character "voices".

HOWEVER...

There is one itch I just can't scratch...
In _MY_ opinion, the name "Manticore" and "Manticoran" should be pronounced with an emphasis on "Core", not on the "Tick" part.

In other words, she says "Man-Tick-O-Ran", and I think it should be "Man-tick-Core-an".

What say you?
Agree or Disagree ???

Has DW made any comments about the correct pronunciation?


{And... Does my false-pronunciation make any sense?}


ERR


p.s.: I've not yet heard the "Delta-Five" pronunciation; that should produce a good snicker or two!



strapakai wrote:Madeline Bazard read the first HH books I listened too. I liked her. Then, she was replaced by Barbara Rosenblat. She's okay. It just that I had to get use to her style of reading.
I've listed to the later books read by Allyson Johnson. She has a wider range of accents than Madeline and Barbara. Her 'Honor voice' is close to what I imagined it to be. She also pronounces the majority of the words the way I think they should be.

I've also listened to Shadow of Saganami read by Kevin Pariseau. He took a lot of getting use to. The way he pronounces Manticore is unique. His female voices are a bit annoying. However, once I got use to him, I enjoyed his reading, and especially his Grayson accent.



.
=====
The Celestia "addon" for the Planet Safehold as well as the Kau-zhi and Manticore A-B star systems, are at URL:
http://www.lepp.cornell.edu/~seb/celestia/weber/.
=====
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68506297@N ... 740128635/
=====
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by SWM   » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:07 am

SWM
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 5928
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:00 pm
Location: U.S. east coast

Ensign Re-read wrote:OK, real life got in the way, and I only just recently finished listening to OBS, as ready by Allyson Johnson. I agree with most people's comments about her having a good range of character "voices".

HOWEVER...

There is one itch I just can't scratch...
In _MY_ opinion, the name "Manticore" and "Manticoran" should be pronounced with an emphasis on "Core", not on the "Tick" part.

In other words, she says "Man-Tick-O-Ran", and I think it should be "Man-tick-Core-an".

What say you?
Agree or Disagree ???

Has DW made any comments about the correct pronunciation?

Yes, he has. It's an OOPS. See: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2468&p=49226&hilit=pronunciation#p49226
--------------------------------------------
Librarian: The Original Search Engine
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by pokermind   » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:07 am

pokermind
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 4002
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:58 am
Location: Jerome, Idaho, USA

As I understand it David Weber coached the reader, Allyson Johnson, with the pronunciation of the new words in the books.

Compared to the Safehold books with many different narrators the Honorverse has been lucky with just Allyson narrating :D

Poker

Ensign Re-read wrote:OK, real life got in the way, and I only just recently finished listening to OBS, as ready by Allyson Johnson. I agree with most people's comments about her having a good range of character "voices".

HOWEVER...

There is one itch I just can't scratch...
In _MY_ opinion, the name "Manticore" and "Manticoran" should be pronounced with an emphasis on "Core", not on the "Tick" part.

In other words, she says "Man-Tick-O-Ran", and I think it should be "Man-tick-Core-an".

What say you?
Agree or Disagree ???

Has DW made any comments about the correct pronunciation?


{And... Does my false-pronunciation make any sense?}


ERR


p.s.: I've not yet heard the "Delta-Five" pronunciation; that should produce a good snicker or two!



strapakai wrote:Madeline Bazard read the first HH books I listened too. I liked her. Then, she was replaced by Barbara Rosenblat. She's okay. It just that I had to get use to her style of reading.
I've listed to the later books read by Allyson Johnson. She has a wider range of accents than Madeline and Barbara. Her 'Honor voice' is close to what I imagined it to be. She also pronounces the majority of the words the way I think they should be.

I've also listened to Shadow of Saganami read by Kevin Pariseau. He took a lot of getting use to. The way he pronounces Manticore is unique. His female voices are a bit annoying. However, once I got use to him, I enjoyed his reading, and especially his Grayson accent.



.
CPO Poker Mind Image and, Mangy Fur the Smart Alick Spacecat.

"Better to be hung for a hexapuma than a housecat," Com. Pang Yau-pau, ART.
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by MaxxQ   » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:08 am

MaxxQ
BuNine

Posts: 1553
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:08 pm
Location: Greer, South Carolina USA

Ensign Re-read wrote:OK, real life got in the way, and I only just recently finished listening to OBS, as ready by Allyson Johnson. I agree with most people's comments about her having a good range of character "voices".

HOWEVER...

There is one itch I just can't scratch...
In _MY_ opinion, the name "Manticore" and "Manticoran" should be pronounced with an emphasis on "Core", not on the "Tick" part.

In other words, she says "Man-Tick-O-Ran", and I think it should be "Man-tick-Core-an".

What say you?
Agree or Disagree ???

Has DW made any comments about the correct pronunciation?


Yes, he has, and he says it's *his* fault. Leading up to the recording, he and Allyson were exchanging emails about the various pronunciations, and while he *thought* he had told her the correct way, he had not. Thus, we have the odd way she says it in OBS.

I think there's a recent podcast where he talks about it, and I *know* he talked about it at HonorCon last year. I have no idea where you might find the podcast, though.

Edit: Or you could just follow SWMs link.

Damn Ninjas! :mrgreen:
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by Ensign Re-read   » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:17 am

Ensign Re-read
Commodore

Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:24 pm

SWM wrote:
Ensign Re-read wrote:OK, real life got in the way, and I only just recently finished listening to OBS, as ready by Allyson Johnson. I agree with most people's comments about her having a good range of character "voices".

HOWEVER...

There is one itch I just can't scratch...
In _MY_ opinion, the name "Manticore" and "Manticoran" should be pronounced with an emphasis on "Core", not on the "Tick" part.

In other words, she says "Man-Tick-O-Ran", and I think it should be "Man-tick-Core-an".

What say you?
Agree or Disagree ???

Has DW made any comments about the correct pronunciation?

Yes, he has. It's an OOPS. See: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2468&p=49226&hilit=pronunciation#p49226



runsforcelery wrote:People, it turns out that the wrong pronunciation of Manticore in the audio books is my fault.

I have no idea how I came to do it, but when Allyson set out to do the first books, she sent me a long list of words for which she wanted me to give her the correct pronunciation, and "Manticore" was on the list. Frankly, I don't remember specifically addressing the point, but she sent me a copy of my original e-mail to her and, yup, I did. She asked it it was properly "Man-ti-CORE-an" or "Man-TIK-eran," and I (for some reason) told her it was the second.

It's wrong, but it's not her fault or Audible's. It was a simple miss communication, and I have no idea how I managed to do it since I have never pronounced it aby other way than the first of her suggestions. There were a lot of words on her list, and the only thing I can think of is that for some reason while dealing with all of them, I somehow managed to flip this one. She did her conscientious best to get it right, and I managed to tell her wrong.

Sigh.



Oh; well...
In the following books, is it fixed to "Man-ti-CORE-an"?


.
=====
The Celestia "addon" for the Planet Safehold as well as the Kau-zhi and Manticore A-B star systems, are at URL:
http://www.lepp.cornell.edu/~seb/celestia/weber/.
=====
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68506297@N ... 740128635/
=====
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by Neitz   » Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:18 pm

Neitz
BuNine

Posts: 24
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 12:13 pm
Location: Minneapolis

Ensign Re-read wrote:In the following books, is it fixed to "Man-ti-CORE-an"?


Eventually! For the first several books at least, she uses the incorrect pronunciation. By A Rising Thunder, she has changed to the correct pronunciation.

I get irritated at the choices of accents based on characters' surnames. First Space Lord Sir Thomas Caparelli probably is Nth generation Manticoran through and through, yet is given a "atsa spicy meat-a-ball" accent as if he emigrated from Sicily.

Likewise, some Manticoran characters with Russian surnames get "nu-clee-arr wessels" accent.

But, then, one person speaking for hundreds of characters has to use lots of tricks to make them sound different from each other. One of those tricks is accent or dialect. I just disagree with the choices made in these cases.
-
WESTMARCH
______________________
JOHN NEITZ, MC, KR, OG
Commodore - - RMN
Commanding Officer, 2nd (Gryphon) Fleet
http://BatRon21.org

MANTICON IS COMING!
Image
Top
Re: Audiobooks in the Honorverse
Post by Robin_WH   » Mon Feb 22, 2021 2:26 pm

Robin_WH
Ensign

Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 6:33 pm

Well I don´t like Allyson Johnson's narration because, she usually cannot prounounce foreign (german, slavic) surnames correctly. Madeline Bazard was far better at that. For example: Herzog von Rabenstrange (correct german pronounciation is "z" as "ts" and rabenstrange as [ra:benshtrange].
Also David's worst book, Shadow of Victory, was really painful to listen, especially to me as native Czech.
Top

Return to Honorverse