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 3 days 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 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days 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