Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: How do you pronounce "Smaug?"

This is topic How do you pronounce "Smaug?" in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-12-2013, 06:58 PM:

So I'm doing the recording for the theatre and realize I don't know how to pronounce this word exactly.

Is it "Smog," "Smag," "Smawg," "Smowg" or "Smahg?"

Posted by Chris Daigle (Member # 7347) on 12-12-2013, 08:14 PM:

The middle part of the word rhymes with loud or now.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 12-12-2013, 08:17 PM:

"Money".

See here

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-12-2013, 11:24 PM:

I don't pronounce it. How do they pronounce it in the movie? That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 12-13-2013, 01:38 AM:

From the Wikipedia page:

Smaug (/smaʊɡ/) is a fictional dragon and the primary antagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit. He is described as "a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm".

If you hover over the letters in the phonetic description you will see:

's' in 'sigh'
'm' in 'my'
/au/ 'ou' in 'pout'
'g' in 'guy'

So the au is indeed like the ou in loud [Wink]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-13-2013, 12:22 PM:

s-meow-gghh.
[Confused]

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 12-13-2013, 12:54 PM:

I pronounce it WGAF. [evil]

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 12-13-2013, 01:05 PM:

You left out "smug."

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 12-13-2013, 09:05 PM:

Most of the time I've heard it pronounced your number 3 Mike.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 12-14-2013, 05:49 AM:

I'd pronounce it "that Hobbit Movie"

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-14-2013, 09:11 AM:

Based on the movie itself, the people who said the "au" rhymes with the "ou" in "loud" are right. So my #4 is the right one.... "Smowg."

However, I wish we were still playing "Frozen." This is going to be a long 3 weeks. I hate having to listen to the same movie for 3 weeks...at least "Frozen" had catchy tunes.

quote: Richard Hamilton
I'd pronounce it "that Hobbit Movie"

Good point... everyone has said "When does The Hobbit start" or things like that; nobody ever calls it by its subtitle.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 12-14-2013, 02:29 PM:

'Frozen' also was fifty minutes shorter and less bloated.

Not particularly impressed with the latest Hobbit movie.