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From: rwt@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Rainer Thonnes)
Subject: Pronunciation of French words (was Re: Dialling)
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References: <hayesstw.1561.310359B7@alpha.unisa.ac.za> <3119FC33.6B29@eurocontrol.fr> <4ft7va$glh@whitbeck.ncl.ac.uk> <312357AB.697A@eurocontrol.fr> <4g23h2$phj@rocannon.cam.harlequin.co.uk> <Pine.SOL.3.91.960216093903.19794C-100000@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu>  <Pine.SOL.3.91.960227101933.14713A-100000@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu> <DnKvGx.Jot@logic.uc.wlu.edu>
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 23:23:18 GMT
Lines: 27

In article <DnKvGx.Jot@logic.uc.wlu.edu>,
phoogenb@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (Peter Hoogenboom) writes:
> Cissy . Thorpe (cthorpe@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu) wrote:
> : > >David Emmerson (emmerson@celtic.co.uk) wrote:
> : > >: And how do Yanks pronounce "buffet"?
> : As the French intended.....boo fey.
> 
> I'm afraid the first syllable is not pronounced "boo" [bu] in French. 

Indeed not, nor is the second syllable pronounced "fey" or "fay".

Besides, I gather that in at least some parts of the US, "buffet"
is pronounced so as to rhyme with that delightful young lady with
her curds and whey.

> This is not to mention the fact that French speakers would not generally
> describe any native North-American-English pronunciation of the rule as
> "as the French intended." 

I'll drink to that.  You know, for many years I was under the
misapprehension that the international standard radio code word for
distress, "MAYDAY", derived from some ghastly occurrence which took
place on some historic day in May one year.

Only very recently did I become aware that it is actually the Americanised
pronunciation of the French for "Help me!", namely "M'aider!", which is
of course pronounced nothing like Mayday.
