how about some general vowel phonetic patterns from the french language? that would be helpful. I too think it's a matter of exposure and find that many art history students become well-versed in French pronunciation!
Not in French; just minutes (literally) before I came across this thread, I was watching the news on BFMTV on my iPad and on came an ad for some cleaning product called "St Marc" -can't tell you how many times he repeated "Mar". Ceci dit, j'aime bien me faire plaisir avec un 'tit Marc de Bourgogne, tout en sirotant mon café apres le déjeuner.
Hence the classic Python sketch where the guest is introduced by the interviewer as "Mr Luxury Yacht", at which point he protests and utters "it's written Luxury-Yacht but it's pronounced Throat-Wobbler Mangrove".
Absolutely, before things were dumbed down. I remember an episode of Pixie and Dixie where Mr Jinks totally mangled "Coup de Grace", pronouncing it "Coupay de grace-ay". Everyone laughed, because you KNEW it was wrong.
The chap in question may pronounce the C in his name, but in French the name Marc is pronounced "Mar".
Maybe in some cases, but I have a feeling in his case it really is Marc with an audible "c." Here's the introduction to his Web site: I think if his first name were pronounced differently from what a reader of Am. English might expect he'd have given some guidance on that too.
Whoops! I'm sorry, I am talking through my derriere and can only put it down to a "senior moment" of some sort. The Christian name "Marc" always has the 'c' pronounced -no idea why I wrote otherwise. The "marc" from grapes, used in the fuel-like drinks such as Marc de Bourgogne is not pronounced (like the meat from pigs, 'porc'). However, in St Marc, it seems the final C may be elided as in the products "St Marc Menage" which have been around for a long time -perhaps, if I may be allowed the "jeu de mots" - "pour se faire reMARCer"
Regional pronunciation of place names is a fascinating study all its own. I grew up in the Philadelphia area which has a number of Welsh place names like Bryn Mawr and Gwynedd and Cynwyd. It was always fun to hear newcomers to the area try to pronounce some of them. The oddest thing though was having two cities with the same spelling north and south of us - Newark, in both Delaware and New Jersey, each with its own distinct pronunciation. The Newark in Delaware was pronounced more as it looked, Néw-ark. But up in Jersey it was pronounced more like a one-syllable Nyurk. I always loved hearing an out of towner talk about the city of Reading as if they were referring to a book. Harry
Hey, I didn't even know that!! We French Canadians tend to get a few things corrupted linguistically, so before I saw your post I had NEVER heard a single fellow pronounce "MAR de café" (spent coffee used as feed, etc.), yet the French dictionary confirms your saying! Thanks to you, if I ever make it across the Atlantic and come upon the subject with French folks or French-savvy people like you, I won't be taken for a genuine settler! LOL
either way, Letter To Evan is a fine record. Has a nice version of the theme to the film On Golden Pond on it.
The way Donald Fagen pronounces it in Steely Dan's "Show Biz Kids" has always killed me: "coup-ee-dee-gra(s)"... AFAIK, Fagen was well read. I get from your post and reference to the Pixie & Dixie joke that it is NOT an accepted pronounciation in English, right? I would have never guessed before I got to read the lyrics on paper that he was saying "coup de grâce" (>>cou de graass<< for those who wonder about it). It reminds me also of Joni Mitchell and her "to the Champs-D-Élysée" (in "Freeman in Paris")!... How did she manage to get that "D" in there?...
This might sound a little stupid, but if one listens to Paul McCartney's French bits in "Michelle" and look up the lyrics to check how the words are written, it is almost French Vowel Phonetics 101: he's very good!
In normal English, the expression and pronunciation "Coup de grâce" is well established (from military usage of a pistol shot to spare a person having just been executed any unnecessary pain). Whatever about Joni Mitchell , where did the French, who ought to know better, get the D' they consistently insert in the world-famous Chateau Yquem dessert wine?
Sorry, but that's not how it's pronounced, it's deh-bü-see: http://www.pronunciationguide.info/thebiglist.html#French
Yes, you and they are quite right regarding the final -sy (see) (clearly, I am having an off day). However, I was concentrating on the middle "bu" part where I didn't think the askee was getting the explanation of the middle section. Typically anglophones have difficulty with French -u and I didn't think the bü was bringing it home to the poster. I felt -boo, while hardly linguistically correct, was conveying it a little closer without recourse to the phonetic alphabet.
http://www.yquem.fr/ I sadly know nothing about dessert wine, but it seems you HAVE to put a "d'" in there. It is the preposition "de" abbreviated to >d'< with an apostrophe because followed by a vowel. As you surely know "de" is "from" or "of". For instance, there is the famous château/recording studio (or so it was) in France, the château d'Hérouville. BTW, what's "MDR." in your other post, please?
The true name of the property, and the wine it comes from, is actually Chateau d'Yquem, even though you sometimes find references to Chateau Yquem
OK, but "boo" still doesn't sound correct, it's more like "buu". Anyway, the link I posted provides a sound sample: http://www.pronunciationguide.info/thebiglist.html#French
no idea where you got that from Marc name in french is Marc wit C pronounced of course like everywhere else on the planet
The C is pronounced in the Christian name, but as was said before, not pronounced in Place Saint Marc in Venice, or marc de café, where the correct way to pronouce is mar.