24 Comments

The OED says fleur-de-lis in English is pronounced both ways: https://www.oed.com/dictionary/fleur-de-lis_n?tab=factsheet#4085820 Of course the French pronunciation is as you say.

Isn't a coup-de-gras when you suddenly gain weight? :-)

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Yes, a friend mentioned that to me this morning, still sounds wrong to my francophone ears, lol. Ahahah, love the weight gain thing. I should have put that in there considering we're all reeling from the holidays...

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If you speak any language, what other cultures might do to it is often grim. I grew up with a francophone mother who also spoke Polish. When I told her about my new writing teacher named Wizznewskey she blew up and told me how Wisniewski *should* be pronounced.

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And I'm sure you remember to this day... Names are a minefield :)

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gigglesnort -- sounds like the right definition to me

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I love this rant. Over the years, I've had to hold my tongue about grammar and style, because people quickly escalate to full-out indignation and violent threats. Omit needless words. Don't utilize made up words when you can use real ones.

And as an aside. Grace Kelly is the person I must enjoy looking at, and Rear Window is among my favorite films. My only gripe is the hyperspeed moment at the climactic moment. Why Alfred? Why?

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I try not to gripe too much, lol. But I wanted to get it off my chest - new year, you know!

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I know enough French and German to be dangerous. Hee! And have always heard "lis" pronounced "lee". But I bow to your better knowledge. The main point is to get these things right so us dweebs don't get confused. I find that some sites online are better than others at helping with that.

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Ahahah... I learned that the OED allows "lee", so you're good. It just sounds funky to my French-native-speaker ears.

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I’ll be happy to get your detective well🤣

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Sure, but does qu’est-ce que c’est have three syllables or four? My French teacher was from Toulouse, and she cringed every time we swallowed the ‘ce.’ She said the three-syllable pronunciation was Parisian, not French.

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Three syllables, for me, lol. But with the accent from Toulouse, it's definitely four!

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When I was a kid, my pet peeve kept piddling on the carpet, so Mom made me get rid of it. Great post!

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Love this! I stand corrected and ready to avoid those pitfalls. Dates and events are also in this category. As a retired nurse, I go nuts when writers include medical scenes without a clue to accuracy. Eye roll. Just do the research or ask someone who knows.

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Next time I put my detective in the hospital (which will happen pretty soon I'm sure!) I'll give you a shout!

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Well. I can tell you that working in the interior design industry can really mess with your head, especially where fabrics are concerned. Epingle? Matelassé? Bouclé? Not to mention colors: Bisque, Ivoire, Crème - I've heard everything. 😂

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I can imagine, let's add: moiré, damasquiné, mauve, écru, pilou (I love that one, it's so cute!), point d'Alençon... a bit of an obstacle course, right?

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Chaise longue... Foyer...

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Lingerie... We can play that game for a while, Troy!

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Drives me bananas too!!! Happy New Year and shall you come visit our province, Montréal en particulier, send me a sign... Dwane and I would be delighted to show you a bit of this beautiful city we call home!

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I'll remember the invitation, Nathalie! Bonne Année et meilleurs voeux!

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J'adore Montréal! I hope to visit again in the spring. I first went there when I was 17 and my high school's prize-winning French student.

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I'm so glad you said that. It drives me mad too!

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Ha! So glad to see I'm not alone, lol!

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