Nah - since I'm Canadian, and while not french-speaking personally am
surrounded by many fluent francophones, I do know how to pronounce things in
a french sort of way, and I get a real kick when professionals don't. My
note was a troll of sorts, as was yours, I think ;) And I've always called
a Pontiac leMans a "le mans", with every letter intact! Think about it -
Ligier would be "Le geer"! Old story comes to mind - someone (Brabham,
maybe?) started a team called Motor Racing Developments, and called it MRD
for short. MRD = merde = shit in french!:0
Nascar racer Nadeau = Nay-doo
Canadian curling champion LaLibertie = Lally-berty
Porsche = porch
Probably lots more...
Phonetically yours, Brian
And it's Jag-waaaahhhhr any way - stretched as long as an E-Types nose...
At 02:07 PM 7/15/99 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 7/15/99 12:21:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time, brian@uunet.ca
>writes:
>
><< Renault and Le Mans are both (obviously) french words, and when pronounced
> correctly in french sound thusly:
>
> Renault = Ren-oh, slight emphasis on the last syllable.
> Le Mans = Lu Mahn, "n" almost silent but not quite.
>
> The debate would be the advisability of pronouncing words from one language
> using another languages rules of pronunciation. Names often become quite
> amusing when this happens...
>
> Cheers Brian >>
>
>I fear you thought I really didn't know, Brian. Anyway, I now have a Jagwire
>so it really doesn't matter.
>
>jw
>
Brian Evans
Director, Global Sales
UUNET, An MCI WorldCom Company
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