I was just wondering about pronunciation to do the same! Would it be nehd-jehm with the 'j' pronounced like in 'gem'? Or would it be nehd-yehm? With the 'j' sounding like a 'y'? My instinct says the first for ancient Egyptian, but pronunciation of things can surprise us

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'd just call them NEDJ-em, or Nedg, Probably Nedgy would get a lot of play, too. It doesnt have to be correct, its not a test in ancient Egyptian.

[–] iheartneopets@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fair enough, I just like languages so I'm more interested to satisfy my own curiosity, haha

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well then, in the interest of historical accuracy, which I usually adhere to in all other things except cat names, my guess would be that the J is pronounced like a Y.

I just like the sound of the other way better.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the j is a transliteration by modern scientists. it's not like they used the letter back then.

also the fact that they used DJ together seems to specifically disambiguate it as the soft G / J sound.

[–] iheartneopets@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I tend to agree. Plus, wasn't ancient Egyptian pretty consonant heavy, with scientists basically filling in the blanks with vowels so we can more easily read/pronounce it? That's another reason, IMO, to lean towards soft g/j.... I'm just flying blind with vibes as my guide mostly, tho, I'm definitely no expert

Edit: even if the 'j' was pronounced as a 'y', being that close to the 'd' basically makes the whole thing moot when it comes to pronunciation. Said quickly (like calling—or scolding lol) a pet, both pronunciations sound quite similar