French words in English
There have been French words in English since the time of Chaucer. For example, he imported those that end in -sion or -tion (though he often also spelt them -cion or -cioun). More recent additions are ménû, machìne (-sh-), façàde (*fəssàd), crèpe and elìte (the accents show stress and pronunciation, see English phonemes). English more-or-less French pronunciation is typified by the proper names *Cítron, *Përzho and *Rénno for Citroen, Peugeot and Renault. Pronouncing French words too Frenchly sounds pretentious in an English context. Why say 'Stephàne Grapellỳ' when it is so much easier to say *Stéfən Grəpélly? Boulougne (*Bə-lŏin, as opposed to French 'Bû-lónyə') and Páris (with s sounded) have anglicised pronunciations, as do the painters Dègàs (*Dâygà for *Dəgá - the name was originally de Gas) and Rénoir (*Rénwà instead of *Rənwàr - the anglicised pronunciations are of course spurned by those anglophones who have learnt French, but even they would not normally in an English context pronounce the final r in Renoir); by contrast the more recently famous Nigér has a French-style pronunciation, *Nì-zhãir - in contrast to Nigêria (*Nîjêria).
But many more French words and phrases are less assimilated than those above, and they are often written, like other foreign words, in italics. They can retain their written French accents in (especially British) English. None of these accents should be regarded as compulsory in English, but they are often used.
List of French words
This is a list of words that may retain their French written accents, or be written in italics, or have a strange or little-known pronunciation in English, in any combination. The accents in the pronunciation column show stress and pronunciation (see English spellings for a table). The equals sign (=) introduces a word that has the same pronunciation (no other kind of connection is implied), and an asterisk (*) is placed before a respelling.
| Spelling, French accents optional | Pronunciation[1] |
|---|---|
| à deux | *à-dë |
| aileron | âileron |
| à la carte | *àlà-càrt |
| à la mode | *àlà-môde |
| apéritif | *aperitêef |
| aubergine[2] | *ôberzhêen |
| blancmange | *bləmànzh |
| bête noire | *bét-nwà(r) |
| bidet | *bêedây |
| blasé | *blà-zây |
| bon mot | *bón-mô |
| bon ton | *bón-tón |
| bon vivant | *bon-vìvàn |
| boulevardier | *boôlə-vàrdiay |
| bouleversement | *boôlə-vérsmón |
| boutonnière | *boôtoni-ére |
| bureau de change | *bûrodə-shónzh |
| café | cáfè |
| canapé | cánapè |
| canard | cánard |
| carte blanche | *càrt-blànsh |
| cause célèbre | *côze-celébrə |
| c'ést la vie | *sâyla-vêe |
| c'ést la guerre | *sâyla-gãir |
| chacun à son goût | *shákən-ason-goô |
| chapeau, chapeaux plural | *sháppo, *sháppôz |
| chaperon | *sháperôn |
| charabanc | *shárabang |
| charade | BrE *shəràd, AmE *shərâde |
| charivari | BrE *sharivàri, AmE *shivarêe |
| château, châteaux plural | *shátto, *sháttôz |
| chauffeur | *shô-fër |
| cherchez la femme, chercher la femme | *shérchèla-fám |
| cinema | cínemà, *cínemə |
| cinemathèque | cínematek |
| cinemaphotograph | cínema phôtograph |
| cinema verite | cínema *véritè |
| Cítroën ™ | *Sítrən |
| cliché | *clêeshây (AmE stresses 2nd syllable) |
| clientèle | *cleeontél |
| comme ci, comme ça | comsêe-comsà |
| compère | cómpére host, cf. compãre contrast |
| concierge | *cóncìërzh |
| confit | cónfì |
| confrère | cónfrére |
| coup d'état | *coôdây-tà |
| coup de grace | *coôdəgràss |
| coup de théâtre[3] | *coôdətay-átrə |
| coupé | coûpè |
| courgette[4] | *cŏr-zhét |
| cortège | *cŏr-tézh |
| crème | créme |
| crèpe | crèpe |
| crochet | *crôshây |
| croissant | *quàson |
| croque-monsieur | = crock old, pot *məsyə(r) |
| curé | *cyûrây |
| curetage | *cyùretàzh |
| curette or curet | *cyurét |
| demimonde, demimondaine | démimonde, demimondâine |
| debâcle | debàcle |
| débris | BrE *débrêe or *dèbrêe, AmE *dəbrêe |
| début | *dèbyû or *débyû |
| débutant | *dèbyûtàn or *débyûtàn |
| déclassé | declássè |
| déjà vu | *dèzhà-vû |
| deluxe, de luxe | *də-lúxe, də-lûxe |
| de rigueur | *dərigër - hard g |
| détente | *daytànt |
| demimondaine | *démimon-dâne |
| discothèque | *díscoték |
| double-entendre | *doôblon-tóndrə |
| douche | *doôsh |
| eau-de-Cologne | *ôda-Colône |
| eau-de-vie | *ôda-vêe |
| éclair | eclãir |
| éclat | *è-clà |
| élan | *è-làn |
| émigré | émigrè |
| en attendant | *onətóndón |
| en bloc | ón blóck |
| en clair | ón Clãir |
| en face | *onfáss |
| en famille | *onfamì |
| en fête | *onfét |
| en masse | ón máss |
| en passant | *onpásson |
| en plein | *onplán |
| en poste | *onpóst |
| en prise | *onprêez |
| en rapport | *onrá-pŏ(r) |
| en route | *ón-roûte |
| en suite | *onswêet |
| enfant terrible | *ónfànté-rìbl |
| engagé | *ongázhây |
| entrée | *óntrây |
| esprit de corps | *esprêedə-cŏ(r) |
| exposé | *expôzây, cf. expôse |
| fait accompli | *fétəcóm-plêe |
| façade | *fassàd |
| fête festival | = fâte destiny |
| fiancé man, fiancée woman | *fì-ànsây |
| flânerie | *flánə-rìe |
| flâneur | flanëur |
| folie à deux | *folìà-dë |
| frottage | *frótàzh |
| fuselage | *fûsilàzh |
| fusilier, fusileer | fusilêer |
| gaffe mistake | = gáff blow, fishing |
| garage | AmE *garàzh BrE *gáràj or the despised *gáríj |
| garçon | *gà(r)són |
| garde-manger | *gà(r)dmàn-zhây |
| gâteau, gâteaux | *gáttô, *gáttôz |
| genre | *zhónrə |
| honi soit qui mal y pense | *ónny-swà-kêe-málly-pànss |
| hors d'œuvre | *ŏ(r)-dëvr |
| jeu d'esprit | *zhëdé-sprêe |
| joie de vivre | *zhwàd-vìvrə |
| laissez-faire | = lây sây fãir |
| largesse | *larzhéss |
| lavabo | lavàbo |
| lavage | *lavàzh |
| lavaliere or lavalliere pendant | *lavalìer |
| lavalier or lavaliere microphone | *ləválier |
| le mot juste | *ləmô-zhûst |
| littérateur | literatë(r) |
| louche | *loôsh |
| machine | *məshêen |
| madame brothel, Madame title | madáme, cf. mádam shopping |
| maître d'hôtel | *métradô-tél, mâitradô-tél |
| marque type | = màrk write = Màrk person |
| marquee | = màrr kêy |
| matinée | mátinèe |
| mélange | *mây-lànzh |
| ménage à trois | *ménàzhà-twà |
| menu | *ményu |
| Messrs. (abbreviation of Messieurs) | *méssers |
| métier | *mâytiây |
| Monsieur | *Məsyə(r) |
| mot juste | *mô-zhûst |
| naïve | *nî-yêeve |
| naïveté[5] | *nî-yeevì-tây |
| nom de plume | nóm de plûme |
| œuvre | *ëvr |
| outré | oûtrè |
| nouveau riche | *noôvô-rêesh |
| pain-au-chocolat | pánnoshoko-là |
| parvenu | *pà(r)vən(y)û |
| passé | pássè |
| pâté | pátè |
| pied-à-terre | *pyédà-téə(r) |
| pláteau, pláteaux plural | *pláttô, *plátôz; in both, the second syllable is stressed in AmE |
| poseur | |
| protégé | *prôtezhây |
| Provençal | *Provonssàl |
| puisne judge | = pûny small |
| quiche | *kêesh |
| raclette | |
| raconteur | |
| raison d’être | *râizon-détrə |
| rendezvous | *róndâyvoô, róndivoô |
| renifleur | *rəníflë(r), *rənì-flë(r), *réniflë(r) |
| rentier | *ràntêeây |
| résumé [6] | *rézyumây, *râyzyumây, cf. resûme (*rizyûme) |
| risqué | *rískây, *rêeskây |
| rôle | rôle part (= rôll over, eat) |
| rosé (wine) | *ro-zây |
| roué | roûè (*roôwây) |
| savoir-faire | *sávwà-fãir |
| savoir-vivre | *sávwà-vìvrə |
| séance | *sâyónce |
| soixante-neuf | *swàsont-nëf |
| soupçon | *soûpsón |
| table d’hôte | *tàbla-dôte |
| tábleau, tábleaux plural | *táblô, *táblôz |
| tête-à-tête | *tétà-tét |
| touché | *tooshây |
| tour de force | toûr de fŏrce |
| Tour de France | Toûr de Frànce |
| troûsseau | *trûsô (either stressed) |
| valìse | *vəlêez |
| vermouth | BrE *vërməth, AmE *vr-moôth |
| vis-à-vis | *víza-vêe, vêezà-vêe |
| voilà | *vwà-là |
Notes
- ↑ Ideally, final -n nasalises the preceding vowel, but some just pronounce the n.
- ↑ British English; egg plant in American.
- ↑ 'Theatre' outside this phrase has no accents and is pronounced *thêeətə(r).
- ↑ British English; zucchini in American.
- ↑ There is also the anglicisation naìvity, *nà-ìvity.
- ↑ The second accent (not usually both) is often used to avoid confusion with resûme.