Bulette? [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Bulette? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lalato
06-26-04, 09:33 AM Why do people insist on pronouncing the word Bulette... BOO-lay when it should obviously be pronounced... BOO-let.

Please help me understand where this mass gamer mispronunciation comes from.

--sam
Elzaban the Ethereal
06-26-04, 09:46 AM Personally, I always pronounced it BUH-let, but of course, that really isn't the way it's supposed to be pronounced either. I have no idea why anyone would pronounce it with the -lay sound at the end, and I've never heard it. Either way, it doesn't seem feasable because it strays too far from the root of Bulette: Bullet. Then again, I'm certainly no Henry Higgins.
Lalato
06-26-04, 09:53 AM Personally, I think Buh-let or BOO-let are acceptable.

I did a quick search via google for "Bulette pronunciation" and found several references that had the BOO-lay pronunciation.

Seems odd that so many people think it should be pronounced in a way that makes no phonetic sense whatsoever.

--sam
Shadowfax7
06-26-04, 09:59 AM I believe Bulette is a French word, as such you don't pronounce the -tte ending. Thus Boo-ley would be the French pronunciation.
Lalato
06-26-04, 10:18 AM Actually... in French... you DO pronounce the -tte ending.

What you say would be true if the word simply ended with -et. In that case, you would pronounce it as BOO-lay (if the word is, indeed, derived from French). However, since the word ends with -tte. The "T" sound is used.

That said, I'm not a native speaker of French (though I did take 4 years in high school and college).

--sam
Gez
06-26-04, 10:20 AM Originally posted by Shadowfax7
I believe Bulette is a French word, as such you don't pronounce the -tte ending. Thus Boo-ley would be the French pronunciation.

Nope. If it was Bulet, yes, but -te is never a mute ending.

The French pronounciation, actually, is bylɛt, in phonetic alphabet (if you see ? or weird characters, then, it won't help you much, I think).
In standard ASCII rough equivalent of these symbols, byl3t, except the 3 should be turned the other way, like the greek letter sigma.

Or to be clearer: the u is the same as in lu (http://virga.org/cvf/sons/lu.wav), the ette is the same as in brett.
Glak
06-26-04, 10:24 AM It is the official pronunciation. See the 2nd edition monsterous compendium/manual.
Lalato
06-26-04, 10:26 AM Hi Gez... if you're the same as in other boards... you're French, correct?

Thanks for the links... that helps. :)

--sam
Lalato
06-26-04, 10:28 AM Originally posted by Glak
It is the official pronunciation. See the 2nd edition monsterous compendium/manual.

If that's the case... then the "official" pronunciation does not match the spelling of the word.

--sam
Sarig the Genie
06-26-04, 10:37 AM lalato, maybe it's pronounced after some weird language we've never heard of? Like...common! (;

I personally pronounce them in a Norwegian fashion, which means most characters get included. I'm probably way off on quite a few things, but quite correct on others (;
Lalato
06-26-04, 10:56 AM Originally posted by Sarig the Genie
lalato, maybe it's pronounced after some weird language we've never heard of? Like...common! (;

I personally pronounce them in a Norwegian fashion, which means most characters get included. I'm probably way off on quite a few things, but quite correct on others (;

Right.... and now you're going to tell me that we play a "fantasy" roleplaying game. I wasn't born yesterday you know? I know we're really playing chutes and ladders mixed with go fish. :D

--sam
Gez
06-26-04, 11:08 AM Originally posted by lalato
Hi Gez... if you're the same as in other boards... you're French, correct?

Yep.

And D&D's official pronounciation guides are teh funny. Like "coo de grah" in the 1st printing Player's Handbook. :D
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht
06-26-04, 11:43 AM Well, according to the people who invented the Bulette, it's pronounced BOO-lay. Since this has not been contradicted by later sources, it is still pronounced BOO-lay.
Lalato
06-26-04, 12:16 PM Originally posted by Raymond_Luxury_Yacht
Well, according to the people who invented the Bulette, it's pronounced BOO-lay. Since this has not been contradicted by later sources, it is still pronounced BOO-lay.

While I really do understand this logic... it still doesn't remove the possibility that the people that invented the Bulette might have been mistaken... or phonetically challenged.

As for me... I'm sticking with BOO-let. I just can't force my brain to alter the phonetic maps it has made to include BOO-lay in relation to the spelling Bulette.

--sam
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht
06-26-04, 01:43 PM Originally posted by lalato
While I really do understand this logic... it still doesn't remove the possibility that the people that invented the Bulette might have been mistaken... or phonetically challenged.

Of course they were mistaken. They couldn't speak French fluently, so they assumed that "bulette" was pronounced "BOO-lay". I was just pointing out that it is the official pronounciation.
Gez
06-26-04, 02:56 PM By the way, despite looking French, "bulette" is not actually a word. Well, there's boulette, the closest you can find, but it would be kinda strange to name a landshark "tiny ball". Although it also means "blunder" in slang. Maybe it was an error to create this monster. :D

You could also coin up "bullette" as the diminutive form of "bulle", but then again, why call it a little bubble?
Dragonteuthis
06-26-04, 03:27 PM I've run into this problem, so I now pronounce it "land shark." Seems to have solved most problems.
Sweet Steph
06-26-04, 04:36 PM The English language is one full of contradictory spelling rules that aren't supposed to make sense. If the designers say it's pronounced with an "-ay" and spelled with a "-tte", then who are any of us to tell them that they're wrong?
Sarig the Genie
06-26-04, 05:16 PM Originally posted by lalato
Right.... and now you're going to tell me that we play a "fantasy" roleplaying game. I wasn't born yesterday you know? I know we're really playing chutes and ladders mixed with go fish. :D

--sam

Fantasy game? You mean I wont go to Arborea when I die? :(
Lalato
06-26-04, 10:59 PM Originally posted by Sweet Steph
The English language is one full of contradictory spelling rules that aren't supposed to make sense. If the designers say it's pronounced with an "-ay" and spelled with a "-tte", then who are any of us to tell them that they're wrong?

True enough... I have a degree in English and I know full well the contradictions inherent in the language.

That said, I am well within my rights to call attention to what I think is a silly pronunciation, and I really don't care for the idea that the designers are "gods" that never make mistakes. ;)

--sam
Ssussunriyh
06-26-04, 11:24 PM I always pronounced it "byoo-LET." But that's just me...
Ogre4Hire
06-27-04, 01:51 AM Most PCs I've played have pronounced it "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!":angel:
primemover003
06-27-04, 07:36 AM Originally posted by Ssussunriyh
I always pronounced it "byoo-LET." But that's just me...
I heard the prounouciation online years ago as Byou-lay, as in the word "you" with "b" slapped on the front, then "lay"
ieattrollsforbreakfast
06-27-04, 08:39 AM Originally posted by Ssussunriyh
I always pronounced it "byoo-LET." But that's just me...

Thats how I pronounce it. It never occured to me to pronounce the end as LAY until reading this topic. It sounds silly to me, but each to his own.
primemover003
06-27-04, 08:46 AM Well it is french... I'm from Detroit! Lot's of french here, guess I'm used to it?
Gez
06-27-04, 06:48 PM As I was saying before, it actually ain't.

It's like, say, "domubble". It looks like an English word, and people will assume it must be English, but it doesn't exist.

Bulette doesn't exist.
Tevish Szat
06-27-04, 06:59 PM It's pronounced "Land Shark", at least as far as i'm concerned.
Phrennzy
06-28-04, 10:25 AM We've always pronounced it: BOO-leet

But then, we pronounced Pseudodragon "Sway doe" dragon for the longest time.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lalato 06-26-04, 09:33 AM	Why do people insist on pronouncing the word Bulette... BOO-lay when it should obviously be pronounced... BOO-let. Please help me understand where this mass gamer mispronunciation comes from. --sam
Elzaban the Ethereal 06-26-04, 09:46 AM	Personally, I always pronounced it BUH-let, but of course, that really isn't the way it's supposed to be pronounced either. I have no idea why anyone would pronounce it with the -lay sound at the end, and I've never heard it. Either way, it doesn't seem feasable because it strays too far from the root of Bulette: Bullet. Then again, I'm certainly no Henry Higgins.
Lalato 06-26-04, 09:53 AM	Personally, I think Buh-let or BOO-let are acceptable. I did a quick search via google for "Bulette pronunciation" and found several references that had the BOO-lay pronunciation. Seems odd that so many people think it should be pronounced in a way that makes no phonetic sense whatsoever. --sam
Shadowfax7 06-26-04, 09:59 AM	I believe Bulette is a French word, as such you don't pronounce the -tte ending. Thus Boo-ley would be the French pronunciation.
Lalato 06-26-04, 10:18 AM	Actually... in French... you DO pronounce the -tte ending. What you say would be true if the word simply ended with -et. In that case, you would pronounce it as BOO-lay (if the word is, indeed, derived from French). However, since the word ends with -tte. The "T" sound is used. That said, I'm not a native speaker of French (though I did take 4 years in high school and college). --sam
Gez 06-26-04, 10:20 AM	Originally posted by Shadowfax7 I believe Bulette is a French word, as such you don't pronounce the -tte ending. Thus Boo-ley would be the French pronunciation. Nope. If it was Bulet, yes, but -te is never a mute ending. The French pronounciation, actually, is bylɛt, in phonetic alphabet (if you see ? or weird characters, then, it won't help you much, I think). In standard ASCII rough equivalent of these symbols, byl3t, except the 3 should be turned the other way, like the greek letter sigma. Or to be clearer: the u is the same as in lu (http://virga.org/cvf/sons/lu.wav), the ette is the same as in brett.
Glak 06-26-04, 10:24 AM	It is the official pronunciation. See the 2nd edition monsterous compendium/manual.
Lalato 06-26-04, 10:26 AM	Hi Gez... if you're the same as in other boards... you're French, correct? Thanks for the links... that helps. :) --sam
Lalato 06-26-04, 10:28 AM	Originally posted by Glak It is the official pronunciation. See the 2nd edition monsterous compendium/manual. If that's the case... then the "official" pronunciation does not match the spelling of the word. --sam
Sarig the Genie 06-26-04, 10:37 AM	lalato, maybe it's pronounced after some weird language we've never heard of? Like...common! (; I personally pronounce them in a Norwegian fashion, which means most characters get included. I'm probably way off on quite a few things, but quite correct on others (;
Lalato 06-26-04, 10:56 AM	Originally posted by Sarig the Genie lalato, maybe it's pronounced after some weird language we've never heard of? Like...common! (; I personally pronounce them in a Norwegian fashion, which means most characters get included. I'm probably way off on quite a few things, but quite correct on others (; Right.... and now you're going to tell me that we play a "fantasy" roleplaying game. I wasn't born yesterday you know? I know we're really playing chutes and ladders mixed with go fish. :D --sam
Gez 06-26-04, 11:08 AM	Originally posted by lalato Hi Gez... if you're the same as in other boards... you're French, correct? Yep. And D&D's official pronounciation guides are teh funny. Like "coo de grah" in the 1st printing Player's Handbook. :D
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 06-26-04, 11:43 AM	Well, according to the people who invented the Bulette, it's pronounced BOO-lay. Since this has not been contradicted by later sources, it is still pronounced BOO-lay.
Lalato 06-26-04, 12:16 PM	Originally posted by Raymond_Luxury_Yacht Well, according to the people who invented the Bulette, it's pronounced BOO-lay. Since this has not been contradicted by later sources, it is still pronounced BOO-lay. While I really do understand this logic... it still doesn't remove the possibility that the people that invented the Bulette might have been mistaken... or phonetically challenged. As for me... I'm sticking with BOO-let. I just can't force my brain to alter the phonetic maps it has made to include BOO-lay in relation to the spelling Bulette. --sam
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 06-26-04, 01:43 PM	Originally posted by lalato While I really do understand this logic... it still doesn't remove the possibility that the people that invented the Bulette might have been mistaken... or phonetically challenged. Of course they were mistaken. They couldn't speak French fluently, so they assumed that "bulette" was pronounced "BOO-lay". I was just pointing out that it is the official pronounciation.
Gez 06-26-04, 02:56 PM	By the way, despite looking French, "bulette" is not actually a word. Well, there's boulette, the closest you can find, but it would be kinda strange to name a landshark "tiny ball". Although it also means "blunder" in slang. Maybe it was an error to create this monster. :D You could also coin up "bullette" as the diminutive form of "bulle", but then again, why call it a little bubble?
Dragonteuthis 06-26-04, 03:27 PM	I've run into this problem, so I now pronounce it "land shark." Seems to have solved most problems.
Sweet Steph 06-26-04, 04:36 PM	The English language is one full of contradictory spelling rules that aren't supposed to make sense. If the designers say it's pronounced with an "-ay" and spelled with a "-tte", then who are any of us to tell them that they're wrong?
Sarig the Genie 06-26-04, 05:16 PM	Originally posted by lalato Right.... and now you're going to tell me that we play a "fantasy" roleplaying game. I wasn't born yesterday you know? I know we're really playing chutes and ladders mixed with go fish. :D --sam Fantasy game? You mean I wont go to Arborea when I die? :(
Lalato 06-26-04, 10:59 PM	Originally posted by Sweet Steph The English language is one full of contradictory spelling rules that aren't supposed to make sense. If the designers say it's pronounced with an "-ay" and spelled with a "-tte", then who are any of us to tell them that they're wrong? True enough... I have a degree in English and I know full well the contradictions inherent in the language. That said, I am well within my rights to call attention to what I think is a silly pronunciation, and I really don't care for the idea that the designers are "gods" that never make mistakes. ;) --sam
Ssussunriyh 06-26-04, 11:24 PM	I always pronounced it "byoo-LET." But that's just me...
Ogre4Hire 06-27-04, 01:51 AM	Most PCs I've played have pronounced it "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!":angel:
primemover003 06-27-04, 07:36 AM	Originally posted by Ssussunriyh I always pronounced it "byoo-LET." But that's just me... I heard the prounouciation online years ago as Byou-lay, as in the word "you" with "b" slapped on the front, then "lay"
ieattrollsforbreakfast 06-27-04, 08:39 AM	Originally posted by Ssussunriyh I always pronounced it "byoo-LET." But that's just me... Thats how I pronounce it. It never occured to me to pronounce the end as LAY until reading this topic. It sounds silly to me, but each to his own.
primemover003 06-27-04, 08:46 AM	Well it is french... I'm from Detroit! Lot's of french here, guess I'm used to it?
Gez 06-27-04, 06:48 PM	As I was saying before, it actually ain't. It's like, say, "domubble". It looks like an English word, and people will assume it must be English, but it doesn't exist. Bulette doesn't exist.
Tevish Szat 06-27-04, 06:59 PM	It's pronounced "Land Shark", at least as far as i'm concerned.
Phrennzy 06-28-04, 10:25 AM	We've always pronounced it: BOO-leet But then, we pronounced Pseudodragon "Sway doe" dragon for the longest time.