I couldn’t read past the part of the article where he insists (at great length) that epoch is usually pronounced identically to epic.
How Chrono Trigger Taught Me The Word ‘Epoch’
Submitted 3 days ago by misk@piefed.social to retrogaming@lemmy.world
https://www.thrillingtalesofoldvideogames.com/blog/chrono-trigger-epoch-sillbird-etymology
Comments
C8r9VwDUTeY3ZufQRYvq@sopuli.xyz 3 days ago
9point6@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Came in with that first paragraph on my clipboard to highlight how silly this is
For one, it’s pronounced identically to the word epic in most cases. I’m going to guess that nine times out of ten, if you used epoch in a sentence, most people would assume you’re saying epic anyway, regardless if that makes sense in context.
No. It’s not. It’s pronounced ee-pokh or ep-okh. Anyone pronouncing it like “epic” has got the vowel sound entirely wrong.
capt_wolf@lemmy.world 3 days ago
It’s apparently the American pronunciation. Though, half our population can’t read anyway, so I’ll just keep saying it the right way. Or maybe we just go back to the original Greek, Epochē.
Ashtear@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
クロトリ getting the literal “Blackbird” treatment is a good example of how impossible direct localization is. It’s why I appreciate–and support–injecting similar vibes elsewhere in scripts that may not have literal connections to the original Japanese. I think Woolsey got there in this particular case with Flea, Slash, and Ozzie. Not so much with the gurus.
I think, though, the answer to “why did we end up with this Woolsey-ism?” is no more complicated than him sitting bleary-eyed with a spreadsheet at 2am because of insanely short deadlines, and getting zero feedback. I’ve always figured that’s how we ended up with phoenix down.
simsalabim@lemmy.world 2 days ago
What’s a better translation for Phoenix Down? And what’s a direct translation of the original name?
k0e3@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
It’s フェニックスの尾. Technically, it’s the “tail” of a phoenix, but it’s clearly depicted as the “tail feather”.
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
A more direct translation would be along the lines of “Phoenix’s Tail”, but even that is misleading because it’s referring to the tail feathers. The Japanese version didn’t specify the individual tail feathers, the same way English wouldn’t designate the individual hairs on a cat’s tail. A more accurate localization may be something like “Phoenix Flight Feather”, but that’s a bit of a mouthful (and would take up a lot of room in your game menus).
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Phoenix Quill? Down feathers are the small, soft feathers close to a bird’s body. The long flight feathers are called quills.
krunklom@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
I was in my 30s when I realized phoenix down was, like, the down feathers from a phoenix. Like goose down. And not “PHOENIX DOWN!”
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
Additionally, “EE-pock” has the distinction of sounding as unpleasant as the word actually looks. I can’t quantify this opinion, but yeah, I think in addition to not sounding great, epoch also looks ugly.
I could not take this article seriously or absorb any meaningful information in it as I was too distracted by the unnecessary and overly long sudden hate boner paragraph for the word “epoch”. Who made a random retro game writer adjudicator and style guide for the English language?
Epoch is a great word, there is no confusion between it and “epic”, and you can use it just fine. It has a much better ring to it as the airship name in Chrono Trigger than “era” would and I find the author wrong on all counts.
Afaithfulnihilist@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
I bought this game and it came with a poster that had the epoch on it.
When my father saw me flying around in the airship he asked if this was a war game or like galaga and I explained to him that it was my time traveling airship and its name was epoch.
He taught me what the word meant and decided this game was a-okay.
monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world 2 days ago
dictionary.cambridge.org/us/…/epoch
There’s the UK EE-pok and the US version sounds like Epic.
It is indeed a weird word. Hard to rhyme. Can only think of peacock.
shalafi@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Huh! I’ve always said eh-pock. But I would understand a speaker who said ee-pock. Epic though?
Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 days ago
You ain’t got good rhymes doc I keep trying to pick up stock of the silly lyrics i always thought
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 2 days ago
So I’m spittin rhymes, like I’m a Glock
While all you do is sit and talk.
monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I meant a perfect rhyme. :/
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
Clean sock?
caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
Fun article.
I disagree extremely strongly on every point about the word epoch.Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 days ago
I used to pronounce it “Ee-potch” until I finally heard it said outloud in something with subtitles on.
pressedhams@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
That whole era of RPGs helped develop reading comprehension.
einlander@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Very little voice acting. You had to read everything to understand. There are even those who learned a second language just to play a game.
Also people who write the massive guides on gamefaqs for free.
Good times.
pressedhams@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
With the best ASCII art.
nixon@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
I wrote a free guide for GameFaqs while living in Japan learning Japanese, the FAQ is still up there 25 years later.
I feel seen.
k0e3@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
Nintendo games have helped my kids with their reading because they still won’t put voice acting.