# 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:** 4
**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 4, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/61 "2011-06-04T10:35:53Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > The American pronunciation of one-L “filet” IS more Gallic than the British pronounciation of two-L “fillet”. At least IMHO. But remember, it’s a degree comparison – I am very much aware that French “filet” is pronounced differently from American “filet”. It’s all subjective, I suppose. > [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s not just common words that get this treatment. “Renault” and “Peugeot” are pronounced with a second-syllable accent in the US and a first-syllable accent in the UK. Both are probably very un-French. Note that the advertising for both reflects local pronunciations. Do Renault and Peugeot advertise in the US? I don’t think they sell cars there. > [@amanset](#): > > Whilst we’re doing cars, lets not forget Citroën. I don’t know about Americans, but Brits seem to forget about the ¨over the ‘e’ and say “Citron”. And “citron” means “lemon” in French. 😃 I don’t get the occasion to talk about Citroën cars often (we don’t see them in North America) but when I do, I sometimes drop the ‘ë’ just for kicks. ---
**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 4, 2011, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/62 "2011-06-04T10:56:48Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I think a fair few Brits pronounce it like me, with no real stress on any syllable. ah-dee-dass. Same stress everywhere. When I was little (70s) I remember everyone pronounced it Ah-DEE-ads. Then sometime in the 80s we switched the stress to the first syllable. Must have been in response to a TV ad campaign by the company. Same thing with Nike - at one point us Brits pronounced it like ‘like’ until Nike started bombarding us with ads. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/63 "2011-06-05T09:25:47Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > When I was little (70s) I remember everyone pronounced it Ah-DEE-ads. Then sometime in the 80s we switched the stress to the first syllable. Must have been in response to a TV ad campaign by the company. Same thing with Nike - at one point us Brits pronounced it like ‘like’ until Nike started bombarding us with ads. I were wee in the 70s too and we never did the Ah-DEE-das. Maybe it was regional. Loads of Brits still pronounce Nike to rhyme with ‘bike’. I feel like too much of a tit pronouncing it ‘properly’ due to years of pronouncing it ‘incorrectly’. ---
**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 5, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/64 "2011-06-05T21:14:05Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > It’s a friendly jab. The British OP basically comes down to “Why do Americans pronounce X funny?” My point is that the fine folks of Great Britain pronounce things “funny”, too. Very much correct and proper, mind you – but nevertheless “funny” from an American point of view. I am of course Irish, so the comments about Great Britain do not apply to me. This was not intended as a jeer at American pronunciation. As I have said before, I value the differences which exist between English speakers, and I hate to hear a neutered voice which has had accent and dialect removed by “elocution”. We speak Hiberno-English here in our lovely Irish accents when the rest of you have gone home. I was genuinely curious about the reason for this mode of pronunciation. It seems to occur mainly in the USA. When I have met it elsewhere, it has been from people who learned English from Americans. I wondered where it came from. I have not yet seen any satisfactory ancswer to the query. It does not seem to be linked to any US state. That implies that it derives from some central source, possibly in the education system if it is not from a local French-speaking accent. ---
**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 5, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/65 "2011-06-05T23:28:00Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Do Renault and Peugeot advertise in the US? I don’t think they sell cars there. I haven’t looked lately but they certainly used to. Their catchphrase (in the US, at least) “Get to know Renault” works with the US pronunciation; not so much the UK one. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/66 "2011-06-06T00:08:49Z")
While we’re on the subject, \*forte \*(loud) in music is pronounced _for-TAY_, but when referring to your area of expertise (“tap dancing is my forte”), it’s pronounced \*FORT \*(one syllable). ---
**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 6, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/67 "2011-06-06T00:36:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > While we’re on the subject, \*forte \*(loud) in music is pronounced _for-TAY_, but when referring to your area of expertise (“tap dancing is my forte”), it’s pronounced \*FORT \*(one syllable). Because, as I’m sure you know, the former is Italian and the latter is French. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/68 "2011-06-06T01:08:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I haven’t looked lately but they certainly used to. Their catchphrase (in the US, at least) “Get to know Renault” works with the US pronunciation; not so much the UK one. Can someone explain this one for me? I’m confused? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/69 "2011-06-06T01:12:14Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > While we’re on the subject, \*forte \*(loud) in music is pronounced _for-TAY_, but when referring to your area of expertise (“tap dancing is my forte”), it’s pronounced \*FORT \*(one syllable). I think this is silly and I’ll keep pronouncing both as “for-tay”. Sure, this is the borrowing of the French word in the latter sense being influenced by the prior borrowing of the Italian word in the former sense, but so what? We’re free to allow that influence; we don’t have to stick slavishly to the French pronunciation. (The French don’t pronounce the /t/ either!). Hell, even the spelling already reflects this influence; the French word is spelt “fort”. ---
**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 6, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/70 "2011-06-06T02:36:34Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Can someone explain this one for me? I’m confused? I think he’s trying to suggest that in the U.S., “Renault” is generally pronounced “Re-NAULT.” In Britain, it’s generally pronounced “REN-ault.” So, the U.S. slogan: Get to KNOW Re-NAULT Works out rhythmically with the American pronunciation, but not with the British. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/71 "2011-06-06T03:28:19Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Works out rhythmically with the American pronunciation, but not with the British. FWIW, rosbifs, the Americans probably have an inferiority complex, and prefer to approximate the sounds of the original language. The French are also notorious linguistic imperialists, perhaps even moreso than the Brits. Read Ciceron at Majorca? Before a junta meets, of course. On the way to Florence, sure! ---
**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 6, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/72 "2011-06-06T04:15:48Z")
Are you happy with posting a statement like that in General Questions, where there’s some expectation that you’ll make some attempt to be factual? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/73 "2011-06-06T04:22:25Z")
It’s correct that both British and French inter alii appropriate pronunciations to suit their own native tongues. Without dispute. Ask anyone. It was my hypothesis that Americans, the younger brethren of all Europeans, for example, might make some attempt to conform their tongue to the ways of foreigners, having few traditions of their own. Vide, the pronunciation of French words with ultimate accent, which is without question in the French manner. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/74 "2011-06-06T04:34:10Z")
ETA, I think it’s wrong that there’s an ultimate “accent” on a given French word pronounced in isolation. I tried saying to myself “Renault” and “cliche” (with sharp accent on the final ‘e’). I think it’s a matter of intonation (pitches rising and falling), so I was wrong in that respect. I don’t live in France anymore, so anyone who does can please correct me. I think that’s right, though. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/75 "2011-06-06T07:56:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think he’s trying to suggest that in the U.S., “Renault” is generally pronounced “Re-NAULT.” In Britain, it’s generally pronounced “REN-ault.” > > So, the U.S. slogan: > > Get to KNOW > Re-NAULT > > Works out rhythmically with the American pronunciation, but not with the British. As a Brit, believe me when I say that it works when spoken in a British manner as well. ---
**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 6, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/76 "2011-06-06T11:26:53Z")
I didn’t say he was right. ---
**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 6, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/77 "2011-06-06T11:34:02Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think he’s trying to suggest that in the U.S., “Renault” is generally pronounced “Re-NAULT.” In Britain, it’s generally pronounced “REN-ault.” > > So, the U.S. slogan: > > Get to KNOW > Re-NAULT > > Works out rhythmically with the American pronunciation, but not with the British. Exactly so, due to the metricality of it. You get the “to KNOW Re-NAULT” mirroring. It’s a little thing. Honestly, it’s not like I wrote it or anything; it’s just a passing observation. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/78 "2011-06-06T12:40:55Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Because, as I’m sure you know, the former is Italian and the latter is French. > [@Indistinguishable](#): > > I think this is silly and I’ll keep pronouncing both as “for-tay”. You’ll be wrong, but go ahead. Defying convention in trivial, low-impact ways like deliberately mispronouncing words is a sign of character. Or something. My father (of blessed memory) was stubborn like this. He pronounced words the way they were written, not the way people commonly pronounced them. For example, he pronounced “ancient”: _AN (rhymes with CAN)-chent_. It identified him clearly as a high school _grad-you-ate_ from the backwoods of depression-era East Texas who would be danged if he would be told how to do anything by anyone. ---
**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 6, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/79 "2011-06-06T12:44:50Z")
While I am awareof the “correct” pronunciation of “forte” meaning strength I’d never use it because everyone else would think I’m mispronouncing it. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844/80 "2011-06-06T13:19:24Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I didn’t say he was right. True. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-pronunciation-of-french-words-ending-in-e/583844.md?page=5)