No, the final s in pronounced. “Sahns” is sort of closish. The two vowels are nasal, though.
“Saint”: http://packs.shtooka.net/fra-balm-voc/mp3/fra-10dafec7.mp3
“Saens”, as in “le sens”: http://packs.shtooka.net/fra-balm-voc/mp3/fra-4d662814.mp3
Also, “Cannes”, in Parisian: http://packs.shtooka.net/fra-balm-voc/mp3/fra-1fc55f32.mp3
“Caen”: http://packs.shtooka.net/fra-balm-voc/mp3/fra-bb723cd7.mp3
A tidbit that an astonishing number of musicians get wrong, to the point that I get corrected when I pronounce it correctly.
(Another weirdly pronounced name is “Poulenc”.)
Actually, it’s sort of pronounced the way it’s spelled. Sort of. “En” is ambiguous, it could be read as the nasal ɑ̃ (as in lent) or as ɛ̃ (as in bien). The second reading is correct. The final “c” might be silent (as in blanc) but it’s voiced in this case.
And people complain about English spelling!
:dubious:
Are any Australians under the age of thirty actually still on the continent? They all seem to be living abroad, at least that’s the impression I get travelling through Europe and Asia. It seemed like half the hospitality staff of Europe and at least 1/3 of the managers in Asia were Aussies or Kiwis.
Presumably they return to the island to to breed later in life, rather like sea turtles.
That is a very odd impression to get! I would bet good money that any country in the world you went to you could find either an Aussie, a Pom or a Kiwi. You could probably find a German, Irish or Swede too.
Aussies are huge travellers and always have been. In my 5 yrs of slumming it around the world I met two Americans and they were in Australia on a two week holiday. Australians were like fleas…EVERYWHERE (only there were always Kiwis there too :D).
Aussies are like Kiwis, they get out and see the world but they almost always go home because home is best (yeah I know some don’t go home but MOST do).
That’s especially true in Asia, but I hardly met any when I was living in Montreal, so the diaspora isn’t necessarily evenly distributed, which might explain why some people have this impression.
Yeah, it’s almost “ken” the a is so light, which is what I was told.
That’s one nuance I never found myself doing. I hope! My mom did, for sure. She always liked getting the good “Chiner” out for a fancy “dinnah”.
Second this. Kahhhn. ‘Oh, i’ve got this great new picture and I’m taking it to Kahhhn.’ Of course, if you don;t know how one pronounces her name…
What a great idear.
Why do they do that? I mean put an “r” there? I watched “The History os English” on PBS with great interest, but if he covered that one, I missed it.
Apparently it’s something to do with linking and intrusive r’s. Put 'em where they don’t belong and don’t pronounce the ones that are there (they-ah). “Lawr and ordah” being an example used. Perhaps the use in New England is left over from British influence??
Sorry to reply to myself, but it was Robert MacNeil who did an excellent job of hosting this very well done history “of” english.