m31andy: (bernard)
m31andy ([personal profile] m31andy) wrote2011-02-04 05:57 pm

It's a Gnother Gnu

Bizarre (though interesting) article in the New Scientist today:

True Blood: The Real Vampire Slayers

Such scholarly articles, I suppose, are both an interest and necessary every time the vampire legend takes another left turn into sparkledom. (And actually it's interesting to plot the movement in the legend and how it takes a leap forward every time vampires become popular again, for whatever reason.)

I, in fact, have several books/articles on the rise of the mythology. Which probably doesn't surprise anyone here...

What does make me boggle is why is the New Scientist so interested?!

Perhaps this April Fools' I'll start the rumour that New Scientist is actually a spoof, like The Onion.

Oops. I just did.

Apropos of nothing, how do you pronounce "gnu"? (And I'm asking how you pronounce it, not how it's properly pronounced....)

[Poll #1677148]

[identity profile] draycevixen.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)

And now I have this stuck in my head:


[identity profile] roven75.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd pronounce it "noo(s)", and this is where I learned it from ;)
Gnus Stand

Good gnus

[identity profile] constant-muse.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
This is where I learnt it:

P.G. Wodehouse

And one more gnu, so fair and frail,
Has handed in its dinner-pail;

[identity profile] sollersuk.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
For anybody exposed to Flanders and Swann at a critical age (as clearly you were) it has to be "g-nu". Though if I knew the correct click, out of sheer bloody-mindedness I would use that.

[identity profile] gritsinmisery.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Wildebeast.

[identity profile] multiclassgeek.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Gnu was actually an answer in the QLL main game this week.

Guh-Noo, FWIW.

[identity profile] elfbert.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 09:44 pm (UTC)(link)
sort of.... "..Nu." So I stick an awkward pausey noisey glottle-stoppy noise on before the N.

The dictionary would no doubt have a weird symbol for that noise. I don't have one.

[identity profile] saintvic.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you know I don't think I ever have pronounced gnu before this post.