How to pronounce "magos"

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**Quarterdime**

Is it a soft "g" or a hard "g" that sounds like it's a "j"? Someone educate this ignorant american please

**Daston**

I say Maygos with the gos sounding like "dos" but with a G....if that makes sense.

No idea if it's right though.

**Furyou Miko**

It's a hard 'g', like in 'god'.

**Quarterdime**

Daston wrote:
I say Maygos with the gos sounding like "dos" but with a G....if that makes sense.

No idea if it's right though.

That sounds right to me.

**DrunkPhilisoph**

Since it's probably meant to be High-Gothic, the settings expy for latin, it would be prounounced with a hard g and a long o.

**Quarterdime**

DrunkPhilisoph wrote:
Since it's probably meant to be High-Gothic, the settings expy for latin, it would be prounounced with a hard g and a long o.

a "g" like a "j" and an "o" pronounced like "oh my god"

**ImAGeek**

I say it like 'may-jose'. Not like the name Jose haha.

**Quarterdime**

...Is there really no objective way to find this out?

**insaniak**

It's a made-up word, so no, not really, short of asking the GW studio how they pronounce it.

The closest 'real' word is 'magus'... which is 'may-guss' .

**j31c3n**

I say "Magus" but instead of an "uh" sound, I make an "oh" sound.

(Admit it, you're hearing it in Princess Kathrine's voice.)

**TheManWithNoPlan**

j31c3n wrote:
I say "Magus" but instead of an "uh" sound, I make an "oh" sound.

(Admit it, you're hearing it in Princess Kathrine's voice.)

How? How did you do that?

Seriously though, linguistically speaking it should be MAH - G - OHS as opposed to the popular MAY - JOS

**thegreatchimp**

May Goose

**Formosa**

Magazine, so it's mag os to me.

**Slaanesh-Devotee**

TheManWithNoPlan wrote:

Seriously though, linguistically speaking it should be MAH - G - OHS as opposed to the popular MAY - JOS

Is using a J sound seriously the 'popular' pronunciation? Isn't it pretty strongly inclined to be hard G? I can't imagine people using a soft G.

**Furyou Miko**

They're familiar with 'Mage' and 'magister', I imagine.

Then again, they probably pronounce it 'ark-ma-jus' too... arch. Archmage has a soft ch.

**Vector Strike**

Má-gos (like you'd say in Portuguese)

**Jimsolo**

I've literally never heard it done with a soft g.

Is that a non American thing?

**Korinov**

As said before, High Gothic is more faux Latin than anything else, so I'd simply go with [mʌ'gɒs]

**DoomShakaLaka**

I say maw-goes

**JamesY**

It is definitely 'May gos' (as in argos)

**Furyou Miko**

DoomShakaLaka wrote:
I say maw-goes

As in 'Thresher maw goes here'?

**DoomShakaLaka**

Furyou Miko wrote:
DoomShakaLaka wrote:
I say maw-goes

As in 'Thresher maw goes here'?

Yes

**zedmeister**

Well, if you want a definitive source, then the Oxford Dictionary can't get more authoritative on this:

They don't recognise Magos, but they do recognise Magus which should give you some idea on how to pronounce it correctly.

**Anfauglir**

I always thought it was either MAY-GOSS (as in "boss"), or MAY-GOES (as in "Frankie Goes to Hollywood").

I never even considered it could/would be a "J" sound.

**Isengard**

I will be based on Latin but the pronunciation might not be that simple insofar as the academic, 'official' Latin would be one thing and vernacular Latin another. For example we know that 'book' Latin had no soft 'c', so Caesar was pronounced 'Kayser' and no 'v' so Virtus was pronounced 'Wertoos', the 'u' sound is long like an 'oo', etc. However, we know that everyday speakers did pronounce v's and made other changes. Pronounce it as you like!

**thegreatchimp**

As I understand it -from hearing it said in a number of fantasy games and films, it's pronounced may-gos. In any case the G is definately hard, i.e. G not "J"

**SirDonlad**

The way i say it (spelled phonetically) is 'may-gos'.

Someone should ask 'High Lord Bligh'

**Relapse**

Here is the closest word in real life with an audible:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/magus?s=t

And the plural version:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Magi?s=t

**Lance845**

I have been pronouncing it MA-ghos

Ma like "Hey Ma, I am back from the store."

Ghos, like ghost without the t.

**Iron_Captain**

It is an ancient Greek (originally ancient Iranian) word. The correct pronouncation would be /máɡos/ for Attic Greek and /máɣos/ for later varieties of Greek.
In 40k, it is probaly supposed to be a High Gothic word, and since High Gothic is pseudo-Latin, it should be pronounced in the same way as Latin: /ˈma.ɡos/
I any case, the g sound is always closest to a hard g in English. The g should sound like the g in 'go', the a should sound like the a in 'Ma', the o should sound like the o in 'toss'. In no case should magos sound like maygohs, which would be the modern English pronouncation. Of course you could pronounce it that way, but it is more authentic when you do it the Latin way.
I just love linguistics.