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Old 03-05-2014, 07:47 PM   #1
William Cloud Hicklin
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William Cloud Hicklin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.William Cloud Hicklin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.William Cloud Hicklin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Yes, it's Smowg

JRRT always pronounced it that way, according to - erm - a member of his original Hobbit audience.
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:20 PM   #2
Inziladun
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Inziladun is a guest of Galadriel in Lothlórien.Inziladun is a guest of Galadriel in Lothlórien.Inziladun is a guest of Galadriel in Lothlórien.Inziladun is a guest of Galadriel in Lothlórien.Inziladun is a guest of Galadriel in Lothlórien.
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Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin View Post
JRRT always pronounced it that way, according to - erm - a member of his original Hobbit audience.
Shouldn't it be that way? Sauron is sour-on, after all.
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Old 03-05-2014, 10:25 PM   #3
Zigûr
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Originally Posted by Inziladun View Post
Shouldn't it be that way? Sauron is sour-on, after all.
Well 'Sauron' is from Elvish and 'Smaug' is from Dalish, which is to say, Old Norse, but the Old Norse 'au' is indeed pronounced 'ow.'
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Old 03-06-2014, 08:44 PM   #4
Bêthberry
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Bêthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bêthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bêthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bêthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.
The English always anglicised foreign names. Giovanni Gaboto became John Cabot. So I don't see why local dialects from English speaking countries around the world can't pronounce Tolkien names according to their own dialect.
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Old 03-07-2014, 12:07 PM   #5
Galin
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Originally Posted by Zigûr View Post
Well 'Sauron' is from Elvish and 'Smaug' is from Dalish, which is to say, Old Norse, but the Old Norse 'au' is indeed pronounced 'ow.'
Also, at least as far as my reading goes, in the Appendix concerned Tolkien suggests that the pronunciation advice in the Elvish section also pertains to names in other languages, unless otherwise noted. Even for names in translation it seems, as some of the Old English details are 'otherwise' noted.

Smaug is seemingly a translation for Trâgu, if posthumously published texts are to be accepted here anyway.

The only instance I'm currently aware of [although it's not like I've been looking] that doesn't work is Gandalf, as it's not Gandalv which it would be if we went back to the Elvish section. Although it works for Smaug in any case.
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Old 04-11-2014, 11:33 PM   #6
Lotrelf
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Originally Posted by Inziladun View Post
Shouldn't it be that way? Sauron is sour-on, after all.
I always pronounced it Sour-on and most often wrote too, until a friend of mine corrected me.
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