# Watership Down proununciation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312 "2011-06-04T15:57:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/1 "2011-06-04T15:57:22Z")
If we have folks well versed in Elvish, surely we have some versed in Lapine? 😉 Bigwig’s name in Lapine is Thlayli, meaning “fur-head.”. One would assume that fur is “Thlay” since Hyzaenthlay’s name means “fur shining like dew.” Having watched the movie more times than I can count, I have a good grasp of that part of the name (like saying “sleigh” with a lisp… 😃 ). But what about the “li”? Lee? Lie? Something I haven’t thought of? Help appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/2 "2011-06-04T18:18:53Z")
I always read it as ‘lee’, but I’m not a lapinolinguist. ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/3 "2011-06-04T18:28:03Z")
Sorry, nothing constructive to add, but when I saw the thread title, I thought, “How is \*that \*difficult? WAH TER SHIP DOWN!” Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/4 "2011-06-05T03:07:23Z")
I always pronounced it “Lee.” ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/5 "2011-06-08T17:15:10Z")
The narrator of the audiobook pronounces it “lee”, for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/6 "2011-06-08T17:44:42Z")
Never even occurred to me to pronounce it “lie.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/7 "2011-06-08T19:10:29Z")
I remember the pronunciation guides in the book being made of awesome. For example, “El Ahrairah” should be pronounced with the same rhythm as “Never say die.” I should reread it–it’s one of my favorite books. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Enn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dave_enn/32/426_2.png) [@Dave\_Enn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Enn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/8 "2011-06-08T21:18:25Z")
I never told anyone to silflay hraka, but I wanted to a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/9 "2011-06-08T21:31:27Z")
Well, you don’t expect them to be communicative with a bobkitty, do you, you embleer elil? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/10 "2011-06-08T21:32:17Z")
Was anyone else bothered by the fact that the rabbit language was made up of human phonemes? I could handle rabbits communicating complex thoughts and ideas. I could handle that it was represented as English. But the idea that they actually communicated by verbalizing English-equivalent sounds no rabbit could make just bugged me through the whole book. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/11 "2011-06-08T21:41:27Z")
And don’t even ask them to say “Throat Wobbler Mangrove.” ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/12 "2011-06-08T23:43:58Z")
I made a Watership Down based double pun recently when I visited “Bar Americain” in Manhattan for lunch with my wife, operated by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. We liked the food quite a bit and planned to return, and I suggested we nickname the place “Flay-rah’s”. She didn’t get it (even though she’d read the book, the lingo hadn’t stuck with her like with me). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/13 "2011-06-09T01:37:59Z")
The lettuce there was that good, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/14 "2011-06-09T01:41:12Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > And don’t even ask them to say “Throat Wobbler Mangrove.” In human it’s pronounced ‘Fiver’. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/15 "2011-06-09T14:15:13Z")
Thank you, everyone, for the info and especially the laughs. I was leaning toward ‘lee,’ but wanted to be certain, since it will be the official name of my ‘new’ car. Somewhat annoyingly, it’s difficult to say ‘Thlayli’ without sounding like Cindy Brady, but I’m sticking to it. 😃 ( wanders off, chuckling ) ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/16 "2011-06-09T14:49:52Z")
> [@Myrnalene](#): > > The narrator of the audiobook pronounces it “lee”, for what it’s worth. That’s what I came by to say. There is a warren of rabbits behind my house that’s been really active lately. We watch them from my porch. We use what we know of rabbit language to describe their actions to my son. I need to read that book again. It has been awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/17 "2011-06-09T14:53:00Z")
I recommend the book to my daughter after just such an event — all the rabbits scampering around behind our house. I think all the rain has given us a bumper crop of bunnies. Chipmunks too. My poor garden. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/18 "2011-06-09T15:53:19Z")
> [@](#): > > I was leaning toward ‘lee,’ but wanted to be certain, since it will be the official name of my ‘new’ car. I heard somewhere of a Volkswagen Rabbit with the license plate “hrududu”. ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/19 "2011-06-09T15:59:51Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I think all the rain has given us a bumper crop of bunnies. I don’t speak Lapine, but in Lowpun, this is pronounced, “thumper crop.” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312/20 "2011-06-09T16:00:44Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Was anyone else bothered by the fact that the rabbit language was made up of human phonemes? I could handle rabbits communicating complex thoughts and ideas. I could handle that it was represented as English. But the idea that they actually communicated by verbalizing English-equivalent sounds no rabbit could make just bugged me through the whole book. No, those phonemes are only recognizable to you as a “Humanization” of actual Lapine. We couldn’t pronounce or write their _real_ phonemes any better than they could ours, so the glossary in the book is still a representation, not a transcription. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watership-down-proununciation/584312.md?page=2)