Helias_Tancred Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Subject says it all. In the audio drama Herald of Sanguinius its pronounced "ball". In the audio book of Space Hulk the narrator pronounces it "bale". Mass confusion. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Being a long-time RPG player, there is an old god in the Forgotten Realms game named Baal and it's always been pronounced Baal. Same in the Diablo games. Panzer, Aothaine, Calistarius and 1 other 4 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave to Darkness Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 The traditional English pronunciation indicated by all dictionaries is BAY-uhl In the poem The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron, he rhymes it with "wail" And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpets unblown. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! Incidentally, BAAL is also the British Association for Applied Linguistics which is BAHL. Aothaine and Morticon 2 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Ghost IX Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 (edited) Baal aka 'ball' aka "ba-al" aka "bhal" to my knowledge since forever. Bale - like set bail? is new to me. But so was the way I keep hearing Legiones, tomato, aluminium etc in the audiodrama reads. I think it's an English English thing perhaps =). Edited July 31, 2017 by Crimson Ghost IX Slave to Darkness 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave to Darkness Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 (edited) I have also heard it pronounced Ba-rl, I think thats what Baphomet called Boon in Nightbreed. Ill watch it later and see, not to settle this discussion but purely because its an amazing film Edit Its Cabal in Nightbreed, still pronounced with the 'rl' though, not like that matters because its a different word lol. Thats the funny thing with these wordy things, we pronounce Romeo differently when we say 'Romeo and Juliette' and 'Alpha Romeo'. Edited July 31, 2017 by Slave to Darkness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Mapple Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Baal was the name of a mesopotamian deity mentioned in the Semitic religious texts. Baal shows up in the Bible as a non Jewish deity and historians have found the name in the region going back to 2000 years BC and more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Ancient pronunciations don't matter. What matters is how a bunch of northerners pronounce it, which is generally 'Barl'. 99% sure that's how Duncan pronounced it in the BA v Nids battle video, and that's how GW staffers up here pronounce it. Marcus Arias 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 In germany we pronounce it Bah-ahl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkangilos Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Potato potato. NTaW 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
submarinesoup Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Baal was the name of a mesopotamian deity mentioned in the Semitic religious texts. Baal shows up in the Bible as a non Jewish deity and historians have found the name in the region going back to 2000 years BC and more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal Precisely why I say "BAY-ul." People need to realize that etymology is a thing, and linguistic history has a great deal of influence on modern speech and pronunciation. Baal (the ancient diety) is mentioned several times in the Bible, so the word has been around the block, so to speak. All that said, to each his or her own, and I'm not sure that a "canon" pronunciation could ever exist due to the diversity of accents on this rock. E.g. American v. British pronunciation of "aluminum." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTaW Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Bahl, but merriam-webster says Bael (almost like bale). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Dawnstar Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Ancient pronunciations don't matter. What matters is how a bunch of northerners pronounce it, which is generally 'Barl'. 99% sure that's how Duncan pronounced it in the BA v Nids battle video, and that's how GW staffers up here pronounce it. As an northerner, I can confirm this. That's certainly what I'm used to hearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 All that said, to each his or her own, and I'm not sure that a "canon" pronunciation could ever exist due to the diversity of accents on this rock. E.g. American v. British pronunciation of "aluminum." That's not a good example because the American and British pronunciations differ not because of accents, but because the words are actually spelled differently with the British adding an I, so aluminum vs aluminium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHarrower Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 I say baal because it's easiest. Should be bay-ul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 But seriously, how intimidating is someone named Ball? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major_Gilbear Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Bah-ahl or Bay-uhl. I use the former, but acknowledge the latter is more likely "correct" given the reference. Ball... Hmm, that's a new way of pronouncing Baal to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkangilos Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 But seriously, how intimidating is someone named Ball? -cough- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkangilos Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 On a more serious note, do we actually know exactly how they pronounced it back in the day? Even pronunciations change over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 The ancient canaanite god Baal (or Ba al) is pronounced 'Bay-ul' or 'Bale'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 I just keep pronouncing it Bah-ahl because that's how it's pronounced in german and it sounds way better imo. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olis Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 I've never pronounced it 'Bay-uhl' or 'Bale'. Never heard anyone else do so either. It's always been 'Bahl' for me. I suspect this may stem from me hearing the name from the Baldur's Gate opening spiel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calistarius Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Thanks to Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction I pronounce Baal as "bale." After 16 years, I don't see that changing. "Ball" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Thanks to Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction I pronounce Baal as "bale." After 16 years, I don't see that changing. "Ball" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Because nobody ever pronounces it "Ball" lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aothaine Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I like "Bahl". I'm from the West Coast USA. Helias_Tancred and Silas7 2 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damon Nightman Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Thanks to Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction I pronounce Baal as "bale." After 16 years, I don't see that changing. "Ball" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Because nobody ever pronounces it "Ball" lol My group does actually... Silas7 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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