Teamedup Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Pronounced Annie-Esse, so how would you spell that name in english. There is a program on with a british couple moving to France and that is the pronuncation of the name given to their daughter.Now that is how I would pronounce Agnes in french, but surely AGG NESS has not become frenchified has it. Love that name in french, not the prettiest one in english though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Sorry I can't offer another spelling, but what about this one : oo-ar. A french lady in the hairdresser's said she had an english neighbour called oo-ar. After more enquiries it turned out to be Howard ! Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 21, 2004 Author Share Posted October 21, 2004 LOL sounds right to me. When my family is over, I suspect that they don't even realise that I am having to give their names or mine sometimes, such is the great difference in pronunciation that it sounds nothing like it does in english. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill<br><br>Jill (99) Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Do you mean her name is Agnes in English? In which case I'd pronounce it Anyess in French. It is a horrible name in English, but as you say, much better in France. A French friend of mine is called Edith which is also awful in English, yet Aydeet sounds much nicer. Can't help thinking of the pronunciation of Edith in "Hello Hello" - always sounded derogotory - probably because it was always followed by "You stupeed wumann".Many names sound much better in French than English though - even just Mary/Marie/Marree. Helene instead of Helen although not too bad a name in itself. Boring English boys names like John and Peter become more attractive when Jean and Pierre. Unfortunately, my name just becomes a man's name in French! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Jill/TU, I was thinking the same, An-yess surely?Curiously timed posting for only yesterday I was trying to explain to a native Arabic speaker how our Belgian colleague, Patricia, is pa-tris-cia to French speakers and pa-trisha to English ones. He couldn't get over the difference in the two pronunciations and how the French was so, so much more attractive than the English. Agree with you about Edith (sorry no accents) and I love French Agnes too. The name Stephanie is also plus joli when French accent is applied. And it's not just the girls, look at Patrick, Jean, Gilles, Frederic all great sounding names in French.Margarette (who much prefers her name in French with the emphasis on the 'retter') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 They said that the girl was called annyess, but that is what I want to know, how you would spell that in english. Yes, Jill, must sound like Gilles. But not all names sound better in french, Hubert, Herbert, Eve, Jonathan and Kevin for example, prefer them all in english. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Is it Anais? As in the perfume Anais Anais. I know that there are dots in there but can't control this typewriter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 The name is Agnès = pronounced 'annyes'. Much prettier than 'Agnes' in English, imho.Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 No Alexis, it couldn't be , those double dots over the 'i' means the 'i' is pronounced as 'igh, as in high without the h sound. So it is 'Ann 'igh eece'. Still wondering about this child. Or is the Mrs Bucket syndrome, they called her Agnes and insisted on the french pronunciation. Coe Lin Powell comes to mind to, what on earth is that about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WebProQuo<P>NDC<P><P><a target=_blank href="http:www.WebProQuo.com" target=_blank>http:www.WebProQuo.com<A><P><P><a target=_blank href="http:www.finddotcoms.com" target=_blank>http:www.FindDotComs.com<A><P><P> <P> Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 There's a girl at school with our kids pronounced ann-eye-eece and spelt Anaïs (the umlauted ï needs you to hold down the alt key and type 0239 on the numeric keypad - or pick it from Windows character map) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racerbear02 Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 I know what you mean about name pronunciation, my name is Graham which seems to be virtually unpronouncable here, best I can get is Graaaaam. The Spanish make a better job of it with Gra-Ham.My partner Euwain really throws them.Here in the sticks ( rural L'aisne)we also fall foul of the local patois with place names. Laon is pronounced Lon here, La-on (A as in cat) in the rest of France and Layon to the Brits, this has made for some very interesting conversations in the past.All part of life as a Franglais Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 TU - apparently 'Co lin' Powell altered the pronounciation of his name in deference to a hero of his, of the same name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 TU gives some good examples of names that don't sound so good in French. Kevin presumably is ke-van? actually I'd say it was better in Fr. Eve is what, Ev? But how on earth do the French pronounce Jonathan? By the way, Graham, I know a Graham in France who has been there so long he refers to himself as Graam even in English now!M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 Jonathan, is more or less Shon a tan, or ton. Names became popular with Jennifer et Jonathan, aka Stephanie Powers and Robert Wagner in some series that was very popular here. I know someone called Sean and the french in general had problems saying his until Sean Connery was mentioned. I can't help wondering what they would have made of Sean Bean, both names look so similar and sound so different.Yes, Eve is Ev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Hubby is Ian and gets YAN, eldest Jennifer which i think sounds lovely in either language youngest is Sarah and to me sounds hard in french ,getting Sahah, and me ,well, how do you get Deb or ha from Deborah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 Opas, you haven't heard Deborah said in french until you have heard Frederic Mitterand say it, boy does he make a mouthful of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freedom Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 I always have a problem with my name Leigh... if I pronounce it to any non-English speaker they reply back 'Lay' no say I, 'Leeeee' and if I spell if for them... well, I get 'Leg', 'leghkk' all sorts! Doesn't help as I'm female and its more of a 'blokey' name, so I can't give an actress name as an example, well there's Jamie Lee Curtis I suppose, but it's not spelt the same!!Thanks mum and dad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 [quote]TU gives some good examples of names that don't sound so good in French. Kevin presumably is ke-van? actually I'd say it was better in Fr. Eve is what, Ev? But how on earth do the French pronounce...[/quote]There are a few school-age Kevins around here, it's pronounced Kev-een.Dylan is pronounced Dee-lan.Michael (lots of different spellings) is Mee-ka-ell.Still not keen on Vincent (Van-song) or Quentin (Con-tan).My neighbour calls Sean Connery "Seen Connery". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill<br><br>Jill (99) Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Didn't the popularity of Kevin in France come around with Kevin Costner and Prince of Thieves? I have a French friend with a nephew called Kevin and a German friend with a son of that name.I was talking to another French friend in the summer and I wondered who the hell Reechar sjheray was. It was Richard Gere!Sorry, was someone talking about Shorn Born, or is that Seen Been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 We introduced my husband as Michael didn't want to try a French version because I've always thought Michel is too poofy but they all came back with Mick-ay-ell, which suits us perfectly, as he's usually called Mick or Michael, so it combines both perfectly.The girl's name I think sounds so much nicer in French is Audrey. Always makes me think of Audrey Roberts from Corrie. But Oh-drrray sounds so much softer and for some reason Audrey Hepburn then springs to mind - much prettier picture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted November 11, 2004 Author Share Posted November 11, 2004 I saw this program again and the child is really called Agg ness, but they use the french pronunciation and the other child is called Eve and and they use the english pronunciation, which makes it a boys name here, so working on the theory that they like french pronunciations they should be calling Eve, Evv.Dear me, we are down to the Mrs Bucket syndrome. Which made me wonder, do you use the french pronuciations for your names when speaking french. I always do, well, maybe I would make an exception with Sharon though, sounds too much like rotten meat in french. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Dear me, we are down to the Mrs Bucket syndrome.Do you mind, that's my sister you are talking about TU Our eldest boy is René, pronounced by all and sundry, including all the family as "Rennay" but, of course over here it is, "rer nay" with the neighbours and French people and..............my sister !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted November 11, 2004 Author Share Posted November 11, 2004 I don't find René that much different in both languages. And we don't really use the rolling 'r' in english. Very good descripton of the 'rer' sound though, I 'm never sure how to write that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 I suppose it can only be said to rhyme with grrr ? Although I forgot to mention that his friends in the UK often call him Renny. As against the delicious way Yvette in 'Allo 'allo, said it to René Artois owner of Café René !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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