# US Pronunciation of French words ending in é **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844 "2011-05-31T13:42:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/21 "2011-05-31T16:40:59Z")
> [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](#): > > Is there a particular reason for this to appear in North America? Do French speakers from Louisiana or Quebec pronounce their words this way? No, not in Québec at least. But when using these words in an English sentence, I pronounce them in the U.S. way. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/22 "2011-05-31T19:33:55Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > No, not in Québec at least. But when using these words in an English sentence, I pronounce them in the U.S. way. Personally, when using these words in English, I would say them with an English accent but (very lightly) stressing the second-to-last syllable. Is that more similar to the way the Brits say them? (Speaking of this, when I watch _Jeopardy!_ and the “question” contains a French word, I always wonder if, given that I don’t pronounce it the same way as most Americans do even while speaking English, I’d be ruled incorrect.) When I’m speaking French, of course, I don’t stress any syllable. I can’t say about Louisiana French speakers. > [@amanset](#): > > I do know that hearing an American say naïveté makes my teeth hurt though. I don’t know how they pronounce “naïveté”, but I have no idea how they managed to mangle “lingerie” to such an extent. As for “Champagne”, I understand what they did to it and why, but I still find it horrible. (I think it’s the ‘a’ which they’ve mapped to the completely wrong vowel.) ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/23 "2011-05-31T20:47:09Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I disagree, though, that the orthography drives the pronunciation. Well, just a theory. > [@](#): > > The same phenomenon occurs in words from different languages where there is no orthographic accent on a final “e”, such as _edamame, grande, per se, amore,_ and _pianoforte_ But for _grande, amore,_ and _pianoforte_, the original language does have an accented syllable (penultimate), and I have never heard them pronounced by an English speaker with the accent on the final syllable. (I do not know how \*edamame \*is properly pronounced in Japanese, and I would think you can emphasize _per se_ however you please since it’s two separate words.) ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/24 "2011-05-31T21:00:01Z")
> [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](#): > > with the stress on the first syllable - like CLEE-shay. That is closer to the French pronunciation. It’s true that we normally pronounce “cliché” with the stress on the first syllable. It’s not true that it’s closer to the French pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/25 "2011-05-31T21:30:26Z")
An important part of the difference in sound is something that’s usually inaudible or even unintelligible to most English speakers: the offglide at the end of the vowel. In English, the vowel in question is always a diphthong: [eI]. But in French (and pretty much every other language I can think of), it’s a pure vowel: just [e]. It cuts off before the “-y” offglide begins. Both British and American varieties do this. In fact, if anything, it’s more pronounced in British RP. I imagine that to speakers of other languages, we must all sound like Fonzie going “Ayy-y-y-y!” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/26 "2011-05-31T21:31:55Z")
Yeah, in the French I know and love, the stress (insofar as it can be heard) is always on the ultimate syllable of polysyllabic words. More audible when the word falls at the end of a sentence or string of words, but I don’t believe a native French speaker would ever pronounce _cliché_ (or any other two-syllable French word) with the stress on the first syllable. Unless he or she were making fun of foreigners, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/27 "2011-05-31T21:57:49Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Personally, when using these words in English, I would say them with an English accent but (very lightly) stressing the second-to-last syllable. Is that more similar to the way the Brits say them? (Speaking of this, when I watch _Jeopardy!_ and the “question” contains a French word, I always wonder if, given that I don’t pronounce it the same way as most Americans do even while speaking English, I’d be ruled incorrect.) No, you wouldn’t. Contestants often mispronounce words but are given credit if the word can be deduced from the mispronounciation. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/28 "2011-05-31T23:16:29Z")
Anyway, what is this [**Haiku Madness**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=553188) of which the OP speaks? Sounds like a rollicking good time for the whole family! I might just go over to [**Haiku Madness**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=553188&page=20) right now and check it out!!! mmm ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/29 "2011-06-01T04:09:35Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > They are confusing _cache_ (stash) with _cachet_ (specialness) by means of _caché_ (hidden; not used in English). J’ai une cache de cachet cachée… trans:\* I have a hidden stash of specialness…\* whispered to random women, with no effect so far. Seriously, my experience with francophones is that they’d find a way to tack on a last word after a word like cliché: “C’est un cliché, non?” “C’est un cliché, oui.” “C’est un cliché, mais…” “C’est un cliché, pomme de terre avec le visage d’un cochon d’inde…” My french-speaking acquaintances (AND, oddly enough, my Japanese relatives!) do this. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/30 "2011-06-01T21:07:55Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > They are confusing _cache_ (stash) with _cachet_ (specialness) by means of _caché_ (hidden; not used in English). Right, but why? ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/31 "2011-06-03T06:43:27Z")
> [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](#): > > I must stress that I am focusing on a pronunciation, where the emphasis is heavily on the last syllable with é, with the pronunciation drawn out into an AYYYYY sound. It seems that there is a glaring exception with the pronunciation of the word coupé. Most Americans I have heard pronounce it as coop which to my ears just sounds odd. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/32 "2011-06-03T07:56:31Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > British speakers have their own issues with French borrowings (e.g. a “fillet” of beef 😃 ). Properly pronounced in British English all, but none pronounced in a particularly Gallic manner. Sorry, don’t get your smiley. Is your objection that we pronounce the ‘t’? Don’t really see the problem with that, considering our language is half French-based already – if we started pronouncing every French-origin word with a French stress, we’d start to sound like Inspector Clouseau. ‘Filet’ is a word that has been adopted into the english language – how do YOU pronounce it when you’re ‘filleting’ a fish, for example? It sounds ridiculous to my ears to hear an American say ‘FiLAY’. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/33 "2011-06-03T09:04:27Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Sorry, don’t get your smiley. Is your objection that we pronounce the ‘t’? Don’t really see the problem with that, considering our language is half French-based already – if we started pronouncing every French-origin word with a French stress, we’d start to sound like Inspector Clouseau. ‘Filet’ is a word that has been adopted into the english language – how do YOU pronounce it when you’re ‘filleting’ a fish, for example? It sounds ridiculous to my ears to hear an American say ‘FiLAY’. Funny. It sounds ridiculous to my ears to hear anything but “filay.” In fact, I have never heard it pronounced otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_of_Lucan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/34 "2011-06-03T09:24:29Z")
My Concise Oxford English Dictionary says we should pronounce the “t” in fillet of beef. It does not give the alternative pronunciation that some USAians use… Of course, if you are talking French and it’s a filet de boeuf, then that’s fine. Of course you don’t pronounce the “t”. Does anyone say filet of beef? If you must, then I guess it’s the French way. ---
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/35 "2011-06-03T09:38:47Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > how do YOU pronounce it when you’re ‘filleting’ a fish, for example? “Filayting”? That can’t be right. Dangerously close to another word 😃 ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/36 "2011-06-03T09:42:20Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Sorry, don’t get your smiley. Is your objection that we pronounce the ‘t’? Don’t really see the problem with that, considering our language is half French-based already – if we started pronouncing every French-origin word with a French stress, we’d start to sound like Inspector Clouseau. ‘Filet’ is a word that has been adopted into the english language – how do YOU pronounce it when you’re ‘filleting’ a fish, for example? It sounds ridiculous to my ears to hear an American say ‘FiLAY’. As a student I worked in McDonalds. I used to feel a right tit saying “fil-ay o fish”. There’s no rhyme nor reason sometimes. There’s general tendencies (Brits tend to pronounce French words a bit more like the French than Americans do, Americans the same with Spanish words) but even then some slip through the net. Seriously question, with the US having a famous school called Notre Dame pronounced as an English word, how do Americans usually pronounce the place that the hunchback came from? I’m not trying to make a point, just genuinely interested. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/37 "2011-06-03T11:50:22Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > how do YOU pronounce it when you’re ‘filleting’ a fish, for example? We don’t pronounce the T in that either. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/38 "2011-06-03T13:18:24Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > We don’t pronounce the T in that either. Then Americans may think they’re pronouncing “filet” in a Frenchy way, but that’s not really the case. The second vowel of “filet” in French is [ɛ], not [e] (i.e. not the “ay” Americans seem to be so fond of :p), although I will admit that some dialects of French are losing the distinction between those two vowels. But the verbal form of this word in French is “fileter” ([bottom of the page here](http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/filet)) which is pronounced [filte] with the ‘t’ definitely audible. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/39 "2011-06-03T13:22:17Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > …even then some slip through the net… I saw what you did there. “Filleting” is “FILL-ett-ing” (European English). “Fileting” is “fill-AYE-ing” (N Am English). Nobody says “Filayting.” And quite a lot of us say “coupé” as “coo-pay.” Then again, I say “kyoo-pon” (coupon) and “raout” (route), so I’m not one to throw stones. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/40 "2011-06-03T13:28:55Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > It seems that there is a glaring exception with the pronunciation of the word coupé. Most Americans I have heard pronounce it as coop which to my ears just sounds odd. In America the accent is left off. It’s just a “coupe”. Which gives us one of my favorite jokes: Q. Why does a chicken coop have two doors? A. Because if it had four doors it would be a chicken sedan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844.md?page=3)