I've lived my entire life believing this word was pronounced Ah-tom-ah-tah, but since this game has picked up traction I have heard so many educated people insist upon calling the game Ah-tah-mah-tah. From Giantbomb, to IGN and even Austin Walker and Patrick Klepick over on Waypoint, I've heard people say this pronunciation and go uncorrected (with the exception of Vinny correcting Alex).

My question is this: Am I wrong? Is the word Ah-tom-ah-tah or Ah-tah-mah-tah?

I'm from the Northeast and we tend to turn "t" sounds into "d" sounds. I've been pronouncing it as "Ah-do-ma-dah"

The secret about things like this is that it actually doesn't matter. The two pronunciations you've given here are so similar that I can't possibly imagine how anyone could find this to be something worth putting thought into.

Hi. Blackout62, degree in English, just popping by to say this has irked me too. Pronunciations vary by regions but GOD DAMN IT! I have never even heard it said as Ah-toe-maw-tah before and it bugs the crap out of me!

It's a variation of the word "Automaton" (because, you know, machines and androids) and there's only one way I've ever heard that pronounced.

You say tomato, I say automata.

I dunno, I can see a case for both. If I were to say automaton or a similar word like autonomous, it'd be with the same cadence and stresses as your "ah-tom-ah-tah" example, but the second example has the same ending emphasis that I would use on a word like "errata".

I think both are perfectly acceptable and we should just relax and not worry about which one people choose to go with. Hakuna Automata.

That's funny because in my native language "automata" is the word for "automatic" in English, and we pronounce it as 'Ah-toe-mah-tah.'

I'm on team "it's supposed to sound like automaton why do you guys keep talking about tomatoes!?".

I agree with this pronunciation:

Stress on the second syllable. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a dictionary that suggests otherwise. It's not just like "automaton", it's the plural form.

It's au-TOM-ah-tah. I too, have no idea why so many otherwise reasonable people are just saying it wrong. This is a real word, and is the plural form of another word that some of those same people pronounce correctly: automaton.

Why not just go straight to the source and get the definitive answer (on how to pronounce the game's title anyway)?

"Auto-mata/Awe-toe-ma-ta" is the one I go with, because why listen to someone else say it when your version sounds good to you?

@hassun: Because Yoko Taro isn't fluent in English while simultaneously being kind of a known troll. (The best kind, of course.) Intentionally mispronouncing it just to mess with people is not out of the question.

Especially this. I was listening to an episode of Waypoint Radio and Patrick keeps saying ah-toe-mah-ta over and over, then says Automaton flawlessly. IT'S THE SAME WORD. CMON, PATRICK!

I've been saying "near a tomato" in a fake, almost-offensively-thick Boston accent.

@hassun: if we were to listen to any creators, we would be stuck with "jif" instead of "gif".

Jamiroquai has seen fit to bless us with an answer: use what ever sounds coolest in the moment, switch it up, have fun. Add syllables - whatever.

If I'm not mistaken I believe that yoko taro has said the title is pronounced Au-tom-a-ta

aw-tom-uh-tuh

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/automata

In German, "Automat" is a word. Ow - toe - mott.

So I say Ow - toe - mah - tuh.

I say it "old tomato."

@zeik:I mean, I did include one that wasn't him saying it.

@gaff: You have a point there. But then even the creator has to accept the word is "graphics" and not "jraphics".

Ah-tah-mah-dah

@mazik765: Without even looking at any of the posts in this thread, it's "auto" as in like a car, and "mata" as in mah-ta.

Any other way is wrong.

The word automata comes from a theory in computer science called "automata theory." Reading up on this the proper pronunciation is "uhh-tom-uh-tah."

Fun fact

I read that as "Near: aw-duh-MA-duh". The way most TV sounding americans say automatic (aw-duh-MA-dic) but duh instead of dic. ahem.

@alwaysbebombing said:

All american accents sound like they make Ts in to Ds to me. It digs away at my mind.

auto-mah-dah

since that's how the guy what made it pronounces the name

aw doh maw duh

I mean, automobile and automotive don't even have the stress on the same syllable; English is a nightmare. Let's not even get into moving the stress based on the part of speech that the word is in the current sentence.

(At Walmart)

"Yeah, Hi. I need a game out of the case."

"Okay, which one sir?"

"That one there: Near: Odda-Madda"

"Ah, Toe Maeda!"

"Ah, Tom oughta!"

Every dictionary seems to say /ɔːˈtɒməˌtə/, so like "automaton" but ending in "-uh" instead of "-on".

"Sorry, I've never heard of odda-madda. Is it near anything else?"

"aw-TAH-ma-tah"

Awe-Tom-Muhtuh

I pronounce it like it's pronounced in English.

@sinusoidal: I agree with that pronunciation as well.

If you guys are just giving your pronunciation in all lowercase, you're a monster and not actually explaining your pronunciation.

At least one syllable should be in italics, bold, or all caps or something; if you're not indicating the syllable that is stressed within the word, you're not painting a very clear picture. If I were to say "aw-tom-uh-tuh", it would sound different from "aw-tom-uh-tuh", which would sound different from "aw-tuh-muh-tuh", which would sound different from "aw-tuh-mah-tuh" and so on.

I know actual linguists have a more elaborate system to indicate inflection, but at least give some indication of what syllable you're stressing.

"A Quality Video Game"

Oh, alright. I've been saying Aw-to-Mah-Tah (essentially how Alex pronounces it on the Beastcast), though I fully acknowledge that Aw-tom-uh-tuh, as in Automaton, is probably a more correct way to say it. English is a goofy language.

My first language is German, so I pronounce it ah-ooh-toh-ma-ta.

Or-toh-mah-ta

"Auto Toemahtoe" or "Auto Poetahtoe" if you ask me.

@mazik765: this exact thing bugged the shit out of me

It's pronounced ah-tom-ah-ta. For some reason the director of Nier deliberately mispronounces the word ah-tow-mah-ta. Maybe it sounds better in Japanese, maybe it's some kind of pun, either way, the gaming community just kind of rolled with it.

I guess it's kind of how Horizon's main character is really just Alloy (like a metal), but for some reason they pronounce it Ai-lloy.

I prefer ah-tom-ah-ta myself, but I think both are valid pronunciations.

I will point out one thing though; ask yourself how you pronounce the auto then say it again. Words are weird.

This right here, nothing more needs to be said about this subject now.

EP-uh-nuh: (from Latin): Horse that Zelda rides

@uhtaree: Must - resist - urge - to - throttle - Dan.

It's awe-tom-ah-tah not auto-mah-tah

Also, this word has existed before nier. The director of the game is pronouncing it wrong... Unless cars become an integral part of the story.