"How does one pronounce Tolkien?"

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Mnemosyne

Now, what gets really interesting is when it appears that Tolkien does not follow his own rules. What's one to do then?

Well, I think it depends on who you're talking to and it what context.

For example, if I talk to someone (especially someone who isn't as much of a fan as me) about one of Tolkien's characters, I'm less likely to pronounce it with a trilled "r", etc., because it would sound strange because I don't normally trill my "r"s.

However, if I'm reading the book aloud, or trying to pronounce something in Elvish, or talking to someone with more Tolkien expertise than me (I assume, I don't think I know anyone who has read more than TH, LOTR and the Silm), then I'd probably try my best to pronounce it right.

As well as this, one reason I've thought of for my preference of Sirdan over Kirdan could be that the "s" sound makes it more sibilant, which makes it more sea-ish, at least to me.