How do you pronounce Kelsier?

[HathsinFlames]

Okay so the other day I saw a meme of Kelsier and it was basically saing Kelsier is pronounced "Kel-see-ay" so I was very confused because I pronounce it with the r. So I was digging more and I saw Brandon Sanderson himself pronounce it the same way I do, "Kel-see-ier" and I feel like, ya know, if the person who made the character says it a certain way then that is how you pronounce it, right? So I just wanna know where people got "Kel-see-ay" from. 

Anyway, it is pronounced "Kel-see-ier" and you cannot change my mind. Plus "Kel-see-ay" makes him way less intimidating tbh.

[Szeth_Pancakes]

“Kel-see-ay” is technically correct, but nobody actually calls him that.

Quote

Questioner

Are there differences in pronunciation between the different worlds in the cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

Do you have any record of that?

Brandon Sanderson

So, it depends on the culture and things like that, what it's going to be like. You can kind of bet in Mistborn it's going to be French, if it's from the Central Dominance. So they'll say "Kelsi-ay" and "De-MOH" but where Elend's from is a lot more Germanic so "EE-lend" "STRAHFF" and stuff like that. The other worlds are all going to have their different things. In Roshar you are going to get some of the "YAS-nah kHo-LIN" it's going to be a little more Semitic in its language family.

Firefight Chicago signing (Feb. 20, 2015)

Edited June 1, 2023 by Szeth_Pancakes

[alder24]

18 minutes ago, HathsinFlames said:

Okay so the other day I saw a meme of Kelsier and it was basically saing Kelsier is pronounced "Kel-see-ay" so I was very confused because I pronounce it with the r. So I was digging more and I saw Brandon Sanderson himself pronounce it the same way I do, "Kel-see-ier" and I feel like, ya know, if the person who made the character says it a certain way then that is how you pronounce it, right? So I just wanna know where people got "Kel-see-ay" from. 

Anyway, it is pronounced "Kel-see-ier" and you cannot change my mind. Plus "Kel-see-ay" makes him way less intimidating tbh.

Check out this WoB and click the play button on the right side of it to hear Brandon's pronunciation, but go to the link: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/127/#e5227

Spoiler

Questioner

How do you pronounce Kelsier's name?

Brandon Sanderson

I say "kelsi-er" (ˈkɛlsiəɹ). In world, they'd say "kelsi-eh" (ˈkɛlsiˌei). Yeah, most people would.

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 (Sept. 23, 2017)

Sazed is better: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/127/#e5221

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson

I pronounce it 'say-zed' (seizɛd). But I pronounce it like Kelsier does. But Sazed himself says something closer to 'sayz'd' (seizd)

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 (Sept. 23, 2017)

 

[Quantus]

28 minutes ago, alder24 said:

Check out this WoB and click the play button on the right side of it to hear Brandon's pronunciation, but go to the link: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/127/#e5227

  Hide contents

Questioner

How do you pronounce Kelsier's name?

Brandon Sanderson

I say "kelsi-er" (ˈkɛlsiəɹ). In world, they'd say "kelsi-eh" (ˈkɛlsiˌei). Yeah, most people would.

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 (Sept. 23, 2017)

Sazed is better: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/127/#e5221

  Hide contents

Brandon Sanderson

I pronounce it 'say-zed' (seizɛd). But I pronounce it like Kelsier does. But Sazed himself says something closer to 'sayz'd' (seizd)

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 (Sept. 23, 2017)

 

Honestly Ive always thought it was pronounced "Saw-Zed".

[alder24]

2 minutes ago, Quantus said:

Honestly Ive always thought it was pronounced "Saw-Zed".

I gave up a long time ago and I'm pronouncing it like a weird mix of English, Polish and however Brandon is pronouncing it - "Se-ze" with "e" pronounced like "e" in "bet". 

Kelsier is easy for me, it's almost the same pronunciation in Polish as in Brandonish.

[The Bookwyrm]

I've always pronounced it KEL-seer.

[Quantus]

1 hour ago, The Bookwyrm said:

I've always pronounced it KEL-seer.

Same.

[Underwater_Worldhopper]

3 hours ago, HathsinFlames said:

Okay so the other day I saw a meme of Kelsier and it was basically saing Kelsier is pronounced "Kel-see-ay" so I was very confused because I pronounce it with the r. So I was digging more and I saw Brandon Sanderson himself pronounce it the same way I do, "Kel-see-ier" and I feel like, ya know, if the person who made the character says it a certain way then that is how you pronounce it, right? So I just wanna know where people got "Kel-see-ay" from. 

Anyway, it is pronounced "Kel-see-ier" and you cannot change my mind. Plus "Kel-see-ay" makes him way less intimidating tbh.

The Central Dominance on Scadrial is fashioned after France in many ways, and in French 'er' (when on the end of a word) is pronounced "ay". In-world, people would call him Kel-See-Ay, but I learned French after I had already read the Mistborn books, so I read it Kel-see-er/Kel-seer too. Pronunciation is up to whatever sounds the best to you. As for Sazed, I speak a variety of languages, and one of them influenced how I ended up pronouncing Sazed: I call him S-ah-z-ed, with ed like in Eddy. Sah-zed; Nobody else I know says it like that, so I'm just my own flavor of weird when it comes to Sazed. Most people I've met call him Say-zzd.

[Treamayne]

Welcome to the Forums

4 hours ago, HathsinFlames said:

Okay so the other day I saw a meme of Kelsier and it was basically saing Kelsier is pronounced "Kel-see-ay" so I was very confused because I pronounce it with the r. So I was digging more and I saw Brandon Sanderson himself pronounce it the same way I do, "Kel-see-ier" and I feel like, ya know, if the person who made the character says it a certain way then that is how you pronounce it, right? So I just wanna know where people got "Kel-see-ay" from. 

Anyway, it is pronounced "Kel-see-ier" and you cannot change my mind. Plus "Kel-see-ay" makes him way less intimidating tbh.

We also have this nugget (Excerpt):

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

 The trick with pronunciation guides is that, personally, I am kind of a believer in that I write a script where you are the director. You get the script I've provided, and then as you read the story, you are creating the actual final detail of how everything looks and sounds and stuff. And so, in your head, your version of the character names are canon to you, and there is no right pronunciation, really. I can give you the one that I thin is closest to how they would say it in-world, but I don't even always say them right. For instance, I just said Tashikk for the country in the Makabaki region when I was reading the Lift thing. But that's actually the Arab ق (IPA: /q/) sound, I can't even do it, it's the double-q. I can't say that. *Brandon tries to say taʃiq* Peter can do it, my editorial assistant, he's not here, but he can do it. I can't. I say them like an American. I say "KELsier" (ˈkɛlsiər). They say "kelsiEY" (ˈkɛlsiˌei). So, is my version right? My version is wrong, but it's right to me? So, yeah. But if there's a character name you want to know how I say it, I can tell you. Is there one specifically?

So, my personal canon:

KEL syer (two syllables)

sah Z'D (two syllables, second vowel abbreviated and a glottal stop on the d)

E lind, YO min, etc.

Edit:

1 hour ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

As for Sazed, I speak a variety of languages, and one of them influenced how I ended up pronouncing Sazed

Ditto on the multi-language influence (not just Saze - but pretty much all Cosmere names)

Edited June 2, 2023 by Treamayne
Ninja Quote

[mip67]

1 hour ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

As for Sazed, I speak a variety of languages, and one of them influenced how I ended up pronouncing Sazed.

I only spoke English when reading mistborn, so I read it the way Sazed pronounces it himself (according to Brandon), similarly to fazed.

[SomePog]

Ive always pronounced Kelsier as Kel-Say-ear