pronounce drow: is it "droh" or "dr_ow_"

VaniKoro · Post by **VaniKoro** » Wed Feb 11, 2004 9:39 pm

well which is it?

I always said "droh", but I hear others say "dr_ow_" more often these days.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Wed Feb 11, 2004 10:29 pm

I personally pronouce it the second way. Just sounds more omnious to me.

swcarter · Post by **swcarter** » Thu Feb 12, 2004 12:43 am

It's drow as in cow. Or as in "Ow, that evil bastid stabbed me!"

SWC

Moonbiter · Post by **Moonbiter** » Thu Feb 12, 2004 11:58 am

Yup, at least that's how they pronounce it in the Menzoberranzan computer game.

Rigrider · Post by **Rigrider** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 6:09 am

I used to pronounce it Droh. For the longest time. Recently I converted to the drow (cow) version. And here's the further proff right out of the Forgotten Realms, Races of Faerun book: "They became known as the dhaeraow (the elven word for traitor), and over the centuries this word has since given them the name by which they are known: drow"

Dhaeraow: with the a in there gives the cow pronunciation. That's my thought on the subject anyway.

musicalassassin · Post by **musicalassassin** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 6:41 am

there was a pronounciation guide on the old TSR website that i learned the pronounciation to be Dr-ough as in cow, and Drizzt's name as Driz-st and a swag of others as well an elven langue guide, but unfortunatly the website is now drastically differant

Magpie · Post by **Magpie** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 2:09 pm

It a case of the english language... Lets take a test, repeat after me.

cow
how
sow

Then for the dr sound

drank
drake
drew

Put em together and we get Dr ow

Rigrider · Post by **Rigrider** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 3:12 am

[QUOTE=Magpie]It a case of the english language... Lets take a test, repeat after me.

cow
how
sow
[/QUOTE]

While I don't disagree with your final outcome here's the part you miss:
Row
Bow
Low

Put them together with your DR and you get Dr ow (dr-oh)!!

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 10:55 am

[QUOTE=Rigrider]
Put them together with your DR and you get Dr ow (dr-oh)!![/QUOTE]

D'oh!!

Magus · Post by **Magus** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 3:01 am

It's always "drow" as in "cow" when the voice actors say it in games. I figure they know best.

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 4:22 am

[QUOTE=Magus]It's always "drow" as in "cow" when the voice actors say it in games. I figure they know best.

[/QUOTE]

How now brown drow... errr cow.

But that's the idea I had too.
"The Drow rule supreme!" -- Baldurs Gate 2 (remember?)

Benedictioninc · Post by **Benedictioninc** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:40 am

I hope you realize it is a fantasy word therefore you can choose the pronunciation for yourself and relying on how a game pronounces it is ridiculous. Personally i pronounce it drow like row not drow like cow mainly for the reason it isn't spelled dcow.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:44 pm

I hope you realize it is a fantasy word therefore you can choose the pronunciation for yourself and relying on how a game pronounces it is ridiculous. Personally i pronounce it drow like row not drow like cow mainly for the reason it isn't spelled dcow.

No. Drow is a scottish folklore word pronounced either as Cow or Know. WoTC based the origin of Drow, which is basically a supernatural possession of intellect and wisdom in a normal creature and created the drow, an evolutionarily advanced version of an Elf.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:32 pm

Straight from Wicki Syberis, and in true Wicki style, not quite correct. The word is of Orkadian (Orkney) or Shetland origin, not Scottish, and any Orkadian will tell you that they definitely aren't Scottish. As the language of Orkney is of Scandinavian origin I expect the word also appears in the Norse or Danish languages as well, although probably in a slightly different form. I suspect the word Draugr has the same root. One thing is for sure, the word doesn't belong to WoTC as someone on another forum was trying to tell everyone, and is is pronounced to rhyme with now or how, not roe or hoe.

Pellinore · Post by **Pellinore** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:22 pm

Gary Gygax himself said Dr-ow as in cow. He is the one who introduced the drow into D&D so I use his pronunciation. I said dr-ogh myself until I heard him say the word at a Con way, way, way back in the early 1980's. Damn I'm old.