Vaan's Name

[LunarWeaver]

Sorry if this has been discussed before.

I kept pronouncing like the automobile, Van.

But then I started watching Escaflowne and in that it's pronounced Vawn.

I would normally just wait until the game came out and hear them say it but since it isn't coming for probably over a year my curiousity is tingling. Anyone know which one it is?

[Roogle]

It would probably be similar to the one from Escaflowne. A simple pronounciation sounding like an automobile wouldn't fare too well on our side of the shores.

[TheAbominatrix]

At least we wont be questioning it once the game is out, unlike names before voice acting.

But yes, it's probably the Escaflowne sort of Vaan.

[boys from the dwarf]

ive not hear how it is pronounced but i pronounce it van with a long A sound instead of a short A sound. the way i pronounce it is varn.

[Luara]

I say Vawn, like the one on escaflowne

[kikimm]

I've always pronounced it Vawn, or Vaughn. There's a second a for a reason. ;D

Plus, no character ever would be named "Van."

[LunarWeaver]

Van in Chrono Cross was named Van :P

[Luara]

um... *still with vawn*... well, we will see in the game, pretty soon... I hope. I hope somebody pronounces it in the game... (something like that)

[Lawr]

Its probably 'Van'.
I know three shows that pronounces it 'van'
But I could be wrong.

[crashNUMBERS]

It would probably be similar to the one from Escaflowne. A simple pronounciation sounding like an automobile wouldn't fare too well on our side of the shores.

[kikimm]

Van in Chrono Cross was named Van :P

I stand corrected and disgusted.

[TheAbominatrix]

It was spelled as Van, but we dont know how it was pronounced. I went to school with a boy who spelled it Van but pronounced it Vaughn.

[Masamune·1600]

It was spelled as Van, but we dont know how it was pronounced. I went to school with a boy who spelled it Van but pronounced it Vaughn.

There's no question that it would be pronounced phonetically, as the name was obviously derivative from that of the artist Vincent van Gogh. It's no coincidence that Van's father was the painter Gogh. The intent for Van to be pronounced as such is even more apparent when one considers how radically his name was changed when translated to English.

[TheAbominatrix]

From what I was taught, and from what I just looked up, Van Gogh is pronounced correctly as Von Go.

[Masamune·1600]

To be fair, I'll admit that vǎn and vän are both correct pronunciations. Rather than considering this an ambiguity, however, I would argue that it means both can be accepted as pronunciations.

I think I misread your first post; it seemed to me that you were arguing for a kind of complete relativity as far as the name went. I apologize.

[TheAbominatrix]

No worries.

It can of course go either way when a name is spelled Van or even Vaan. I was merely pointing out that Van can be pronounced in both ways as well. :)

[FFX_fanatiq]

Van
Like a truck
because i'm not french
and yeah

[Rinoa_Heartillly]

I think it would be like Van with an accent, like kinda of how you say yawn, but Vaan. ^^

[Destai]

Im still irritated Tidus's name is pronounced Teeee-dus over Tide-us.

[TasteyPies]

His name suits him, it goes both ways.

[Shadow_Talon]

i agree, i was quite annoyed when i founf out how tidus was "really" pronounced. i was quite happy with tie-dus, made more sense, and besides, less "girly-like" too. but i'm opting on the escaflowne version to. vawn would make mor esense.

[kikimm]

I was a little weirded out when I heard it was Teedus as well, but now when I think of saying "Tide-us", it makes me gag. :)

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I saw the name and immediately thought of the escaflowne pronunciation.

I had actually thought that Van's name in Escaflowne was originally spelled Vahn, but I was obviously quite mistaken.

Of course, whenever I hear the name "Van" my mind always fills in "Fanel" immediately thereafter, complete with voice.

[Takara]

I saw the name and immediately thought of the escaflowne pronunciation.

I had actually thought that Van's name in Escaflowne was originally spelled Vahn, but I was obviously quite mistaken.

Of course, whenever I hear the name "Van" my mind always fills in "Fanel" immediately thereafter, complete with voice.

xD Same here.

[crazybayman]

why would they spell it Vaan, if it were to be pronounced "Van"?

Because its not. Its pronounced "Vaughn".

If it was supposed to be pronounced "Van", that's how it would have been spelled. Like Eddie Van Halen, or Van Gogh, as mentioned already. In which case, it could also be pronounced "Von" anyways.

To call someone "Van" sounds dumb, and somewhat clueless. Maybe then we can call his Dad "Truck" and his kids "Minivan"

Yeah, that last point was lame. :p

But my point is, is that it's gotta be "Vaan", pronounced "Vaughn".

[Jiro]

varn. don't ask why. if you do, i won't answer

[Slade]

I was a little weirded out when I heard it was Teedus as well, but now when I think of saying "Tide-us", it makes me gag. :)
Same here. It dosn't sound right as Tide-us now. As for Vaan, I've pronounced it like the automobile van ever since I first found out his name. This is probably due to the Zoids: Chaotic Century anime where the main characters name was pronounced that way (One of my favorite animes by the way:) )

[lady yunalesca]

while were on the subject, anyone actually think that chocobo was pronounced quite the way we hear it in ffx???? i always thought it was choc a bo not choke a bo

[Korrgan]

I always pronounced it Choke-A-Bo, heh.

And I like Van, like the automobile. Vaan's kinda dumb.. I'd much rather he be named Vaughn or something, nicer looking name.

[Matrinka]

Oh "Vaghn" sounds MUCH better than "Van," which is how I was pronouncing the name.

Everytime I heard it, all I could think of was the Chris Farley sketch on SNL... "I live in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!"

[scooby]

Uh, Van Morrison?

As far as I'm aware, his name is pronounced "van". As in - the vehicle. Not "vaughn", or "varn", just "van".

*starts humming "Brown-Eyed Girl"*

[yunafan11]

Oh "Vaghn" sounds MUCH better than "Van," which is how I was pronouncing the name.

Everytime I heard it, all I could think of was the Chris Farley sketch on SNL... "I live in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!"

LOL!!! When I saw that I started laughing.

I always thought that it was Van. Just like it looked. I never knew it was like VAWN. Like... Yawn... lol. Thanks for informing us.

[Vyk]

Let's not have a Yuffie/Tidus war going on again. Think how the Japanese pronounce the A sound. They don't have long or short A's, it's just an A. Now think of a Japanese word that has an A in it. Anime? Samurai? Sake? It's always the same. When romanizing Japanese words, using a vowel twice in a row doesn't change it's pronunciation. You just hold the sound for a split second longer.

Edit: I suppose I should use words that people pronounce properly... It's more of an "ah" sound.

Edit Again: Yeah, I just heard his name in one of the trailers. I was right. Except I probably should have thought to also point out in case someone wants to scrutinize, the Japanese have no V sound. I'm assuming it was Penelo, but it was deffinitely a girl, and if I could cut the clip or had a mic to at least record her saying it, I'd offer it up for you all. Anyway, she barely pronounces the N, so it's more like a really soft "Bah" (our V is usually romajinized to B for them, and vice versa).