O cômico canônico Chewbacca mostra que ele não pronuncia seu nome como "Chewbacca".
Zarro: Do you have a name?
Chewbacca: YRRAANNH!
Zarro: I don't... know how to say that.
Esta é a explicação do Wookieepedia para a aparente descrepância. Faz sentido para mim.
The unique shape of the Wookiee throat made Shyriiwook a very difficult, even impossible language to speak for most non-Wookiees; presumably the word Shyriiwook itself, as well as other Wookiee words or names, were transliterations of the original Wookiee sounds into a form more easily pronounced by others.