Whedonesque : Comments on 18768 : New Jossverse video from Fox.

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January 23 2009

New Jossverse video from Fox. How to pronounce "Tahmoh".

JMaloney | Dollhouse | 20:55 CET | 31 comments total | tags: joss can't speak, tahmoh, jossverse

Great, now we know.

I btw totally agreed with you gossi, when you mentioned on the dollverse-show that he pronounced "Tahmoh" exactly the same both times in that interview. They wanna mess with our minds.

wiesengrund | January 23, 21:08 CET

Seems to be pretty evenly accented, neither TAH-moh nor Tah-MOH, just Tom O'Penikett. ;)

cabri | January 23, 21:32 CET

Now we know what, though? When he says it fast, it still sounds like he's stressing the first syllable (TAH-moh). But Joss says "so it's tah-MOH?" and he says "yes."

He needs to write some limericks for us:

Is it:

There once was a man named TahMOH
Who into space boldly did go
I don't want to pile on
But, he married a Cylon:
The children of Kobol's sworn foe.

Or is it:

"My friend, Moe, I'm sad," wailed Tahmoh
He shook his head slowly; said "Ah, Moe,
My name is so queer,
It'll hurt my career,
They say 'TAH-moe won't go very far', Moe"

[ edited by snot monster from outer space on 2009-01-23 21:38 ]

snot monster from outer space | January 23, 21:33 CET

Tom-O.

Sunfire | January 23, 21:33 CET

3 weeks to go - a present.

gossi | January 23, 22:09 CET

Ah so there IS video to go with all those lovely audio snippets you played on the radio. Are there more presents to come?

Sunfire | January 23, 22:13 CET

I LOVE presents! Thanks gossi!

tah MOH!

korkster | January 23, 22:31 CET

I love how they can't get each others' names right either.

Rachelkachel | January 23, 22:43 CET

When I see the intro sequence for these videos it makes me envision a "Jossverse" sitcom... something like 30 Rock or Studio 60, but with Joss. Sounds good to me.

snakebyte | January 23, 22:43 CET

Address not found...

Caroline | January 23, 22:44 CET

Ok, after listening to both clips (thanks, gossi!), I think the correct pronunciation is with the accent on the first syllable and with a very very slight pause after the first syllable. Tah.moh.

Maybe.

JMaloney | January 23, 22:45 CET

Totally, Rachel. I'd love to see a Joss created sitcom.

gossi | January 23, 22:49 CET

Watching him say it, I think the first one in the gossi video is just 'Tommo' (i.e. he's saying that when people hear it that's what they repeat back to him) but he's saying it should be Tahmoh (and each syllable is equally emphasised i.e. no stress on either one since when Joss says it Tah-moh "Tom" actually says not like that).

Saje | January 23, 22:52 CET

It sounds like Tahmoh is doing a soft glottal stop in between the first and second syllables. If you've ever heard Hawai'i pronounced correctly, you've heard the catch in the throat. Sounds like Tah'moh has the same thing.

pnwfilmgeek | January 23, 23:01 CET

So...

tah. moh.

korkster | January 23, 23:09 CET

Thanks for the present gossi. That was great!

Garim | January 23, 23:28 CET

In most American accents "TOMmo" and "TAHmo" would be pronounced identically. That is, if you want to pronounce "bomb" like an American you say "bahm." "Oh my gahd. He's gaht a bahm! And his name is Tahmoh!!!"

"Sorry, I'm English, are you saying that there's someone called Tommo with a bomb, or that there's someone called Tahmoh with a balm?"

Me, I think he's just messing with us.

snot monster from outer space | January 23, 23:46 CET

Um, maybe it's me, but your 'most American' accents sound like Bostonians. ;) But I do know what you mean, many accents would not distinguish. Mine does though, so that's why I noticed it... its definitely not TAH-moh, it's more like Tah as in 'Ta ta for now'. Like the Russin 'Da' but with a T. Or something.

All I know is that Tahmoh is awesome. ;)

[ edited by SteppeMerc on 2009-01-24 00:50 ]

SteppeMerc | January 24, 00:49 CET

Heh, but TAH-moh does sound like the 'Ta' in 'Ta Ta for now' ;).

Saje | January 24, 00:52 CET

Oh... um... I thought it was like TAH as in... nasal a, not deep like 'AH in the back of the throat'. So would 'da' and 'ta ta' not be pronounced the same? I'm probably just bad at trying to spell out pronunciations.

Gah, this is almost as confusing to me as all the Russian vowels, especially one that sounds like getting punched in the stomach.

SteppeMerc | January 24, 01:01 CET

Some folk say them all the same is my (slightly facetious ;) point but I know what you mean SteppeMerc (palm, pam, balm, bam, tah, ta - all equal to me ;).

(with some American accents Tom does indeed sound like Taaahm - for want of a better way of writing it - but you make a good point in that 'American' covers a lot of quite different sounding accents)

Saje | January 24, 01:16 CET

snot monster, you are too funny!!!

I love Tahmoh, especially now that I for sure and certain how to pronounce his name.

PS. Joss is looking really good. Not just his brain is sexy.

Buffy the Slayer Layer | January 24, 02:11 CET

I still don't know how to say his name. :(

korkster | January 24, 02:28 CET

"They're not gonna stand for that. So Eddie and Danny and Tom. And that's it. And Joss - put an 'H' on there. Come on."

Hee! I'm always correcting people when they say Josh Whedon. I had to (felt it my civic duty to) correct my dad the other day. 'No, Dad. It's Joss, not Josh. No 'H'.'

Wow, none of them can say each other's names. I'm thinking Joss didn't take the time to have everyone go around the circle and introduce themselves for the first day of class.

Emmie | January 24, 03:00 CET

Who listens on the first day of class anyway?

korkster | January 24, 03:09 CET

Since I can't get the Fox video to play for me, I appreciate the added video, Gossi. Thanks.
I can hear a difference in the 2 ways Tahmoh pronounces it but not well enough to explain what the difference is.

Lioness | January 24, 03:56 CET

Based on both the Fox video and Gossi's, Tahmoh is pronouncing it tah-MOH as the correct way, and he says that TAH-moh is the way that it has become used commonly. It may get more in-depth for all I know, such as the suggested Tah'moh, but the correct pronunciation definitely has the emphasis on the second syllable.

And I'm gonna print this thread and keep it with me, and if I ever meet Tahmoh I will give it to him. |-)~

bobw1o | January 24, 05:02 CET

I'm not sure, but it sounded to me like he was pronouncing both h's in his name. So not TOM-mo, but TAH-moh -- you're not done with either syllable until you've pronounced an H. But I'm pretty much guessing.

Pointy | January 24, 05:58 CET

the correct pronunciation definitely has the emphasis on the second syllable

If so, it's weird that he never says it that way.

(with some American accents Tom does indeed sound like Taaahm - for want of a better way of writing it - but you make a good point in that 'American' covers a lot of quite different sounding accents)

It's true that different American accents line up along a spectrum with that short "o" sound, but I don't think there's any American accent that brings the vowel as far to the front of the mouth as it is in an RP accent. You could listen to a single syllable (say "god") being said by someone with a classic old-school BBC accent and rule them out as being any kind of American. All American accents move that vowel further back in the mouth (you can try this yourself--say the word "God" or "Tom" in a posh-British way and you'll feel that your lips are forming a perfect "o" and the sound is way forward in the mouth--say it in any American accent you care to imitate and you'll find that your lips are pulled wider and the sound is further back. Waaaay back if you're imitating a kind of Texan drawl: "Why, Taaaaahm, here..." but still relatively back even if you're imitating Network News Anchor speech).

snot monster from outer space | January 24, 20:17 CET

Blink.

Can't we just call 'em by their character names? At least everyone knows how to say those!

I was gonna suggest we use their abbreviations, like we do with ASH and SMG, but...TP is a rather unfortunate shortening. And ED has a not-altogether pleasant association. And if you say you're going to watch AA people might look at you funny.

ShadowQuest | January 25, 01:25 CET

At least you could say you're a big fan of Miracle's.

hacksaway | January 25, 01:33 CET

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