Would someone tell me I’m pronouncing “scadutree” wrong, or would I have to figure it out myself via a TikTok comment?
Old Ring‘S Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduces consumables called Scadutree fragments. These can be found at Sites of Grace in the Land of Shadow and are used to power up your character.
“That’s a ridiculous word,” I thought when I first read about it, and I mentally pronounced it “skad-oo-tree.”
But the word “scadu” is derived from the Old English “sceadu,” and should be pronounced more like “shadu,” or, you know, “shadow.” Shadow-tree. This information comes from desperate linguists and history buffs from all over the internet, including Reddit, XAnd the reactions from our own TiKTok page.
That shouldn’t really have been a surprise. Old Ring has long used Old and Middle English, as well as Welsh and Irish words that Americans have never learned to pronounce. I certainly breathed a sigh of relief when certified Irishman Cian Maher provided us with a service by tweet the correct pronunciation of the Siofra River in the Lands Between, before I ever had to say the word out loud.
I’m going to blow all the non-Irish Elden Ring players’ minds: Siofra is pronounced Sheef-rah
— Cian Maher (@cianmaher0) March 8, 2022
The dedication to including Celtic languages like Welsh and Irish in FromSoft game translations is really cool. During decades of English colonization These languages were suppressed, often bannedand are still considered endangered.
Old and Middle English words like “scadu” and “gaol” belong to a different language family, but it’s always exciting to learn how not to make a fool of myself when I speak.