The Kraken Wakes

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:01 pm

I am re-reading The Kraken Wakes, and have got myself into an argument that needs settling. Is the beast pronounced kray-ken, kray-ar-ken, crack-ken, or what?

gdwdwrkr · Post by **gdwdwrkr** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 6:20 pm

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Kraken
goes "crackin"

daverba · Post by **daverba** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:32 pm

I suppose that big and powerful krakens do make wakes as they swim around.

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:33 am

The latest installment of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean features a creature called The Kraken, and they pronounce it "crack-in", aaargh, with knees a-quakin'!

beaker · Post by **beaker** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 10:00 pm

In fact, the pirates debate this same question, with humourous results (of course)

haro · Post by **haro** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:38 am

M-W defines a kraken as "a fabulous Scandinavian sea monster," whereas the same word in German simply means any species of the order octopoda. In other words, what's called an octopus in English can be called 'Kraken' or 'Oktopus' in German. As far as I can tell there is no difference other than the fact that the latter sounds more scientific - or call it highfalutin.

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:56 am

I take it that in German it would be Krar-ken, does anyone have any idea about the Scandinavian? I am reluctant to accept the dictionary sound files as James suggested because of the "I say tomato, you say tomato" problem.

Erik_Kowal · Post by **Erik_Kowal** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:37 pm

In Danish you would say KRAHken (with a back-of-the-throat French R and a vowel sound like the AR in 'hard').

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:48 pm

Thanks Erik, beaker can tell his friends in the Caribbean now.

Thinks,
I must go and see that film, people are talking about it. But then, I haven't seen Batman yet, and he's a Welshman.

Edwin Ashworth · Post by **Edwin Ashworth** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:23 am

Oldham Wakes was perversely a time when everybody rushed to the sea.