Quote:
Originally Posted by lio45
Sorry, but I will never be able to bring myself to consider these anything but French words (and pronounce them accordingly).
In English, they're (to me), caliber, center, fiber, liter, meter, saber, somber, theater...
Calibre is pronounced "calibre"; caliber is pronounced "caliber". Huge difference, at least to me.
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LeMarchant Road in St. John's is pronounced in the hardest English you can imagine. It's so not French it's almost a guttural stop. It's like every single person who says it is consciously trying to kill French people with their words. It's almost ANGRY.
It's SO bad. I cannot stress enough how bad it is. And I lived in Winnipeg, where some hicks pronounced Lagimodiere Blvd in hard English. Doesn't come close.
Baie D'espoir is pronounced by its residents as Bay Despair. Exactly the opposite. (same with Cape Spear in St. John's. Cabo Esparanza, then Cap D'espoir, and just anglicized as Cape Spear. At least it's not Cape Despair lol).
Baie L'argent. Very very hard T. Bay Larrgint.
Baie de Mortier is actually even reversed to be said "More-Tea-Yurr Bay".
Plaisance is "Pla-Sen-Cha".
We're horrible people, really.
I'm pretty sure a lovely French name like Genevieve would, here, become simply coughing then spitting.