How do you pronounce....

There are few things more contentious within Legion fandom than the "how do you pronounce..." discussions that used to come up. Back in the olden days, when we only had one or two continuities to worry about, there were pretty much only two places to discuss the Legion online: Usenet's rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh [aka "rac.dc.lsh"] group and the LSH-L mailing list (both of which are still around, but only as shadows of their former selves in terms of traffic). Web-based message boards were really just starting out but had not built up a base yet, and other discussion areas like AOL, Compuserve, GEnie, and others like them were smaller pay-sites. (See this early post of mine here discussing the history of Legion online fandom.)

I got involved online in April 1995, and I have a large archive of some of the more interesting things from the mailing list over the years - some of which is even worth reposting here, which I'll do from time to time. One of them, as suggested on the LSH episode 2.04 comments, was a poll posted to the list and to rac.dc.lsh, asking people how they pronounce certain Legion-related names. Back then, we had this thing called the "Floating Pronunciation Flamewar", where the "flamewar" floated from one forum to the other, disappearing for a while and then popping back up. The one name most likely to spark (no pun intended) this flamewar was the seemingly innocuous question "How do you pronounce Ayla?" On one side were the "rhymes with Layla" faction and on the other were the "sounds like eye-la" group.

A well-meaning but misguided guy named Mike Morris put together The Official Legion Pronounciation Poll (misguided because he thinks it's pronounced "eye-la"), posted to rac.dc.lsh and LSH-L on Sept. 3, 1995. Put your own answers in the comments section, please.

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THE OFFICIAL LEGION PRONOUNCIATION POLL

Choose the pronounciation of your choice, or if it is not listed, write it in. One vote per person, please. I will post the results in about 2 weeks both here and in racd.lsh.

To the voting booths.....(and I apologize if some of my choices are ambiguous
- this was not as easy as you think)...

1) Vidar
a) VEE-dar
b) VY-dar
c) VIH-dar
d) vee-DAR
e) vy-DAR
f) vih-DAR
g) other:___________

2) Khund
a) koond
b) kund
c) other:___________

3) Darkseid
a) dark-side
b) dark-seed
c) other:___________

4) Bgztl
a) bee-GIZZ-tle
b) big-zittle
c) BIGGS-tle
d) other:___________

5) (Thom) Kallor
a) KAL-ler (rhymes with "Valor")
b) KAL-lore
c) kal-LORE
d) kuh-LORE
e) other:___________

6) (Tasmia) Malor
a) MAL-ler (rhymes with "Valor")
b) MAL-lore
c) mal-LORE
d) muh-LORE
e) other:___________

7) Querl (Dox)
a) curl
b) rhymes with "squirrel" (2 syllables)
c) kwerl
d) Carol
e) other:___________

8) Jan (Arrah)
a) yon (swedish-like)
b) Jan (Brady-like)
c) other:___________

9) (Jan) Arrah
a) air-uh
b) are-uh
c) other:___________

10) Kara (Supergirl)
a) care-uh
b) car-uh
c) other:___________

11) Tinya (Wazzo)
a) tin-yuh
b) tine-yuh
c) other:___________

12) Imra (Ardeen)
a) ime-ra
b) im-ra
c) other:___________

13) Gim (Allon)
a) Jim
b) gim (hard "g")
c) other:___________

14) (Gim) Allon
a) Allen
b) AL-lon
c) uh-LON
c) other:___________

15) Mysa (Nal)
a) miss-a
b) mice-a
c) other:___________

16) Mon-El
a) mun-el
b) moan-el
c) rhymes with "John L."
d) other:___________

and finally, the one that started it all.....

17) Ayla (Ranzz)
a) Eye-la
b) rhymes with "Layla"
c) other:___________

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Please post your answers in the comments section. In a week or so I'll post the original poll results, and I've got some other good flashback stuff in the works.