# How do you pronounce 'Gawain'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254 "2006-03-21T05:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/41 "2006-03-21T23:49:36Z")
Anybody have a Britannica subscription? Anybody know any university professors in this field, or have an idea of an authority to maybe email? ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/42 "2006-03-22T00:13:51Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Anybody have a Britannica subscription? Anybody know any university professors in this field, or have an idea of an authority to maybe email? I’m writing to my former professor. No idea if he’ll remember me, though… ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/43 "2006-03-22T01:35:13Z")
> [@jackelope](#): > > I’m writing to my former professor. No idea if he’ll remember me, though… Me too, although I think her specialty was more 17th-century Brit lit. But this discussion has made me curious. And I’m quite sure of being remembered. 😉 - Hazel, who graduated just last fall ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/44 "2006-03-22T01:57:00Z")
> [@Interrobang!?](#): > > In case it wasn’t clear, I was not particularly serious in my response. And of course, Gawain was, at the time it was used, pronounced in a particular way that was the correct way. Yes, i know. I wasn’t really looking for an argument either. Probably just low blood sugar. I’ll see if I can find some Quix-Oats. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/45 "2006-03-22T02:02:23Z")
Classic from “Freaky Fables” by Handelsman (used to run in the British humor magazine _Punch):_ UTHER: Come out of there, Vortigern! VORTIGERN: Shan’t! Who’s out there, anyway? UTHER: Your worst enemy, King Uther! VORTIGERN: How do you spell that? UTHER: Who knows? W-Y-D-D-R, I shouldn’t wonder! ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/46 "2006-03-22T08:47:10Z")
I occasionally teach medieval literature and I pronounce it differently depending on the text. When reading SG&TGK, I pronounce it as the OP has it: GOW in (rhymes with plowin’), which I take to be the Gawain/Pearl–poet’s pronunciation. When reading Malory (especially in modernized editions), I tend to pronounce it Guh WAYNE, partially because in modern English it just seems like that’s how it shouldl be; partially because I read a modernization of Malory before I ever read SG&TGK and didn’t know any better. But I’ve also heard the Gavin and Gwayne pronunciations, too. So the bottom line is that I don’t know if you’ll be able to get a definitive answer. Asking for the correct pronunciation of a medieval word is almost as bad as asking for the correct spelling of one. I’d have to ask, “Who’s using it?” ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254/47 "2006-03-22T16:35:23Z")
> [@Manatee](#): > > So the bottom line is that I don’t know if you’ll be able to get a definitive answer. Asking for the correct pronunciation of a medieval word is almost as bad as asking for the correct spelling of one. I’d have to ask, “Who’s using it?” This is basically the answer I got from my professor: > [@Professor Hikyung Moon](#): > > The thing about the pronounciation of medieval texts is that no one really knows how it is pronounced and some use the modern pronounciation and others used the medieval ones. You can use which ever you like; the first (ga-WAYNE) version is what most poeple would use, the second (GOW-in) is probably nearer to the medieval version, although this itself could be challenged. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-gawain/349254.md?page=2)