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imported>Ro Thorpe |
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| There have been '''French words in English''' since the time of [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]]. It was he who 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, ''which are not the same as the ones used in French'', show stress and pronunciation, see [[English phonemes]] for the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] and [[English spellings]] for a table). English more-or-less French pronunciation is typified by the proper names *Cítron, *Përzho and *Rénno for '''Cítroen''', '''Pëugeot''' and '''Rénault'''. Pronouncing French words too Frenchly sounds pretentious in an English context. Why say '[[Stephane Grapelly|Stephàne Grapellỳ]]' when it is so much easier to say *Stéfən Grəpélly? '''[[Boulogne|Boulŏgne]]''' (*Bə-lŏin, as opposed to French 'Bû-lónyə') and '''[[Paris|Páris]]''' (with s sounded) have anglicised pronunciations, as do the painters '''[[Edgar Degas|Dègàs]]''' (*Dâygà for 'Dəgá' - the name was originally de Gas) and '''[[Auguste Renoir|Rénoir]]''' (*Rénwà instead of *Rənwàr - the anglicised pronunciations are generally 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 country '''[[Niger|Nigèr]]''' has a French-style pronunciation, *Nì-zhãir - in contrast to '''[[Nigeria|Nigêria]]''' (*Nîjêria) and the river '''Nîger'''. | | <font color="darkred"><big><center>''See the tab above for an extensive '''CATALOG''' of French words in English.'' </center></big></font> |
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| | There have been '''French words in English''' since not long after the Norman Conquest. [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]] imported those that end in -'''sion''' or -'''tion''' (though he often also spelt them -cion or -cioun).<ref>The latter is not used nowadays, while -'''cion''' occurs only in a few words, such as '''suspícion'''</ref> More recent additions are '''ménû''', '''machìne''' (-sh-), '''façàde''' (*fəssàd), '''crèpe''' and '''elìte''' (the accents, ''which are not the same as the ones used in French'', show stress and pronunciation, see [[English phonemes]] for the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] and [[English spellings]] for a table). English more-or-less French pronunciation is typified by the proper names *Cítron, *Përzho and *Rénno for '''Cítroen''', '''Pëugeot''' and '''Rénault''' (* before a word indicates a respelling). So fond of French words is the English language that some expressions that are identical or nearly so in English will receive a French-style pronunciation used in a French context: '''''cohabitation''''' (*coabitassión), a situation where the president and prime minister come from different parties, cf. '''cohabitâtion''', living together; '''''Front National''''' (*Fronassionál), to contrast with the UK's '''Nátional Frònt'''. |
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| | Pronouncing French words too Frenchly sounds pretentious in an English context. Why say '[[Stephane Grapelly|Stephàne Grapellỳ]]' when it is so much easier to say *Stéfən Grəpélly? '''[[Boulogne|Boulŏgne]]''' (*Bə-lŏin, as opposed to French 'Bû-lónyə') and '''[[Paris|Párís]]''' (with s sounded) have anglicised pronunciations, as do the painters '''[[Edgar Degas|Dègàs]]''' (*Dâygà for 'Dəgá'—the name was originally de Gas) and '''[[Auguste Renoir|Rénoir]]''' (*Rénwà instead of *Rənwàr—the anglicised pronunciations are generally 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 country '''[[Niger|Nigèr]]''' has a French-style pronunciation, *Nì-zhãir - in contrast to '''[[Nigeria|Nigêria]]''' (*Nîjêria) and the river '''Nîger'''. Being a [[syllable-timed language]], French has no [[tonic accent]], so when a new French word appears in the news, it may receive several pronunciations, as with [[Alassane Ouattara]]'s name at the beginning of 2011, in which it seems equally acceptable, and perhaps equally unsatisfactory, to stress any one of the three A's (or indeed any two of the six, though the first name usually receives a light stress on the final A, typical of French speech). |
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| 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 (as are also the cedilla in '''curaçao''', probably from Portuguese, and the umlaut in the German '''doppelgänger'''). | | 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 (as are also the cedilla in '''curaçao''', probably from Portuguese, and the umlaut in the German '''doppelgänger'''). |
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| ===List of French words=== | | ==Index== |
| 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.
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| {|class="wikitable"
| | [[/Catalogs#A|A]], [[/Catalogs#B|B]], [[/Catalogs#C|C]], [[/Catalogs#D|D]], [[/Catalogs#E|E]], [[/Catalogs#F|F]], [[/Catalogs#G|G]], [[/Catalogs#H|H]], [[/Catalogs#I|I]], [[/Catalogs#J|J]], [[/Catalogs#K|K]], [[/Catalogs#L|L]], [[/Catalogs#M|M]], [[/Catalogs#N|N]], [[/Catalogs#O|O]], [[/Catalogs#P|P]], [[/Catalogs#Q|Q]], [[/Catalogs#R|R]], [[/Catalogs#S|S]], [[/Catalogs#T|T]], [[/Catalogs#U|U]], [[/Catalogs#V, W, X, Y, Z|V, W, X, Y, Z]] |
| |-
| |
| !Spelling, French accents optional
| |
| !Pronunciation<ref>Ideally, final -n nasalises the preceding vowel, but some just pronounce the n.</ref>
| |
| |- | |
| |absinth(e)
| |
| |ábsínth, ábsànth; or -t
| |
| |-
| |
| |-íz (= '''ís''')
| |
| |-êez (= '''êase''')
| |
| |-
| |
| |à deux
| |
| |*à-dë
| |
| |-
| |
| |(agent) provocateur
| |
| |*ázhonprovoca-tër
| |
| |-
| |
| |aiguille
| |
| |*aigwîl
| |
| |-
| |
| |aiguillétte
| |
| |*aigwilét
| |
| |-
| |
| |aileron
| |
| |âileron
| |
| |-
| |
| |à la carte
| |
| |*àlà-càrt
| |
| |-
| |
| |à la mode
| |
| |*àlà-môde
| |
| |-
| |
| |amour propre
| |
| |*amorprópr
| |
| |-
| |
| |ancien régime
| |
| |*ánciàrè-zhêem
| |
| |-
| |
| |apéritif
| |
| |*aperitêef
| |
| |-
| |
| |argot ''slang''
| |
| |= Àrgo ''ship''
| |
| |-
| |
| |arrière-ban
| |
| |*áriér-bán
| |
| |-
| |
| |arrière-pensée
| |
| |*áriér-pànsây
| |
| |-
| |
| |arriviste
| |
| |árì-vêest
| |
| |-
| |
| |arrondissement
| |
| |*áron-dêesmon
| |
| |-
| |
| |aubergine<ref>British English; egg plant in American.</ref>
| |
| |*ôberzhêen | |
| |-
| |
| |au fait
| |
| |ôh Fây
| |
| |-
| |
| |au fond
| |
| |ôh *fón
| |
| |-
| |
| |au poivre
| |
| |ôh *pwàhvr
| |
| |-
| |
| |au pair
| |
| |ôh pãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |baguette
| |
| |*bagét
| |
| |-
| |
| |ballet
| |
| |*bálay
| |
| |-
| |
| |beau ''singular'', beaux, beaus ''plural''
| |
| |*bô ''singular'', bôz ''plural'' | |
| |- | |
| |beaucoup (slang)
| |
| |*bô-coô
| |
| |-
| |
| |beau geste, beaux gestes, beau gestes ''plural''
| |
| |*bô-zhést | |
| |-
| |
| |beau ideal, beaux ideals ''plural''
| |
| |*bôwidây-ál, bôzidây-ál | |
| |- | |
| |beau monde
| |
| |*bô-mónd
| |
| |-
| |
| |beaux arts
| |
| |*bô-zàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |belle ''of the ball''
| |
| |= béll ''ring''
| |
| |-
| |
| |belle epoque
| |
| |*bélây-pók
| |
| |-
| |
| |belles lettres
| |
| |béll *létra
| |
| |-
| |
| |blancmange
| |
| |*bləmànzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |bête noire
| |
| |*bét-nwà(r)
| |
| |-
| |
| |bidet
| |
| |BrE *bêedây, AmE *bidây, bidét
| |
| |- | |
| |bizarre ''strange''
| |
| |*bí-zàr, cf. bazàar ''shop'', bə-
| |
| |- | |
| |blasé
| |
| |*blà-zây
| |
| |-
| |
| |blouse
| |
| |*blòuz
| |
| |-
| |
| |blouson
| |
| |*bloûzon
| |
| |-
| |
| |bouclé
| |
| |*boûclây
| |
| |-
| |
| |boudin
| |
| |*boûdán
| |
| |-
| |
| |boudoir
| |
| |*boûdwàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |bouffant
| |
| |*boûffàn
| |
| |-
| |
| |bougie
| |
| |*boozhêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |bouillabaisse
| |
| |*bwêeabâisse
| |
| |-
| |
| |bouillon
| |
| |*bwêeon
| |
| |-
| |
| |boule
| |
| |boûle
| |
| |-
| |
| |boulevard
| |
| |boûlevard
| |
| |-
| |
| |boulevardier
| |
| |*boôlə-vàrdiay
| |
| |-
| |
| |bouleversement
| |
| |*boôlə-vérsmón
| |
| |-
| |
| |bon mot
| |
| |*bón-mô
| |
| |-
| |
| |bon ton
| |
| |*bón-tón
| |
| |-
| |
| |bon vivant
| |
| |*bon-vìvàn
| |
| |-
| |
| |boutique
| |
| |*bootêek
| |
| |-
| |
| |boutonnière
| |
| |*boôtoni-ére
| |
| |-
| |
| |bric-à-brac
| |
| |brícabrac
| |
| |-
| |
| |brie
| |
| |brìe
| |
| |-
| |
| |brioche
| |
| |brêe-ósh
| |
| |-
| |
| |bureau de change
| |
| |*bûrodə-shónzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |cabaret
| |
| |cábəray
| |
| |-
| |
| |cabernet franc
| |
| |*cábernây-fràn, some AmE *cábernây-fránk
| |
| |- | |
| |cabernet sauvignon
| |
| |*cábernâysovêen-yón
| |
| |-
| |
| |cabinet
| |
| |cábinet
| |
| |-
| |
| |cabotin
| |
| |cabotán
| |
| |-
| |
| |cabriole
| |
| |cabriôle
| |
| |-
| |
| |cabriolet
| |
| |*cabriolây
| |
| |-
| |
| |cachalot
| |
| |*cáshalót, *cáshalô
| |
| |- | |
| |cache ''hide''
| |
| |= cásh ''money
| |
| |-
| |
| |cachepot
| |
| |*cáshpo, *cáshpót
| |
| |- | |
| |cachet
| |
| |*cáshây
| |
| |-
| |
| |cachou ''lozenge, catechu''
| |
| |= cáshew ''nut'' | |
| |-
| |
| |café
| |
| |cáfè
| |
| |-
| |
| |camembert
| |
| |cámembér
| |
| |-
| |
| |camouflage
| |
| |cáməflàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |canapé
| |
| |cánapè
| |
| |-
| |
| |canard
| |
| |cánard
| |
| |-
| |
| |carte blanche
| |
| |*càrt-blànsh
| |
| |-
| |
| |cause célèbre
| |
| |*côze-celébrə
| |
| |-
| |
| |c'ést la vie
| |
| |*sâyla-vêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |c'ést la guerre
| |
| |*sâyla-gãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |chablis
| |
| |*shábly
| |
| |-
| |
| |chacun à son goût
| |
| |*shákən-ason-goô
| |
| |-
| |
| |chagrin
| |
| |*shágrin
| |
| |-
| |
| |chamois
| |
| |BrE *shámwà, AmE *shámmy
| |
| |- | |
| |Champagne, BrE champagne<ref>Also BrE '''champâign''' with the meaning 'open country'.</ref>
| |
| |shám pâin | |
| |-
| |
| |chanteuse
| |
| |BrE *shàn-tëuz, AmE *shán-tûz
| |
| |- | |
| |chapeau, chapeaux ''plural''
| |
| |*sháppo, *sháppôz
| |
| |-
| |
| |chaperon
| |
| |*sháperôn
| |
| |-
| |
| |charabanc
| |
| |*shárabang
| |
| |-
| |
| |charade
| |
| |BrE *shəràd, AmE *shərâde
| |
| |-
| |
| |charivari
| |
| |BrE *sharivàri, AmE *shivarêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |chartreuse
| |
| |BrE *shartrëuz, AmE *shartreûz
| |
| |-
| |
| |château, châteaux ''plural''
| |
| |*shátto, *sháttôz
| |
| |-
| |
| |chauffeur
| |
| |*shô-fër
| |
| |-
| |
| |chemin de fer (card game)
| |
| |*shəmánda fãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |chemise
| |
| |*shəmêez
| |
| |-
| |
| |chemisette
| |
| |*shəmeezét
| |
| |-
| |
| |cherchez la femme, chercher la femme
| |
| |*shérchèla-fám
| |
| |-
| |
| |cheval-de-frise, chevaux-de-frise
| |
| |*shəváldə frêeze, *shəvôdə frêeze
| |
| |-
| |
| |chevalier
| |
| |*shəválêeây
| |
| |-
| |
| |chevelure
| |
| |*shəvəlûre
| |
| |-
| |
| |chèvre
| |
| |*shévra
| |
| |-
| |
| |chez ''house''
| |
| |= Shây ''person''
| |
| |-
| |
| |cinema
| |
| |cínemà, *cínemə
| |
| |-
| |
| |cinemathèque
| |
| |*cínematek
| |
| |-
| |
| |cinemaphotograph
| |
| |cínema phôtograph
| |
| |-
| |
| |cinema verite
| |
| |cínema *véritè
| |
| |-
| |
| |Cítroën ™
| |
| |*Sítrən
| |
| |-
| |
| |cliché
| |
| |*clêeshây ([[American English|AmE]] stresses 2nd syllable)
| |
| |-
| |
| |clientèle
| |
| |*cleeontél
| |
| |-
| |
| |Cointreau, BrE cointreau
| |
| |*quantrô
| |
| |-
| |
| |collage
| |
| |*cóllàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |colonnade
| |
| |colonnâde
| |
| |-
| |
| |comme ci, comme ça
| |
| |*comsêe-comsà
| |
| |-
| |
| |comme il faut
| |
| |*comêel-fô
| |
| |-
| |
| |commode
| |
| |commôde
| |
| |-
| |
| |commune
| |
| |cómmune
| |
| |-
| |
| |compère
| |
| |cómpére ''host'', cf. compãre ''contrast''
| |
| |-
| |
| |compote
| |
| |compóte
| |
| |-
| |
| |concierge
| |
| |*cóncìërzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |confit
| |
| |*cónfì
| |
| |-
| |
| |confrère
| |
| |cónfrére
| |
| |-
| |
| |concours d'elegance
| |
| |*concordele-gànce
| |
| |-
| |
| |consommé
| |
| |consómmè
| |
| |-
| |
| |contretemps
| |
| |*cóntratóm
| |
| |-
| |
| |coq au vin
| |
| |cóck ôh ván
| |
| |-
| |
| |coquette
| |
| |*cô-két
| |
| |-
| |
| |corniche
| |
| |cor-nêesh
| |
| |-
| |
| |cornichon
| |
| |*cornishón
| |
| |-
| |
| |corps ''army''
| |
| |= cŏre ''apple''
| |
| |-
| |
| |corps de ballet
| |
| |*cŏrda-bálay
| |
| |-
| |
| |corps d'élite
| |
| |*cŏrdây-lêet
| |
| |-
| |
| |corsage
| |
| |*corsàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |corsetière
| |
| |corsetiére
| |
| |-
| |
| |coulis, coulisse
| |
| |coulìsse
| |
| |-
| |
| |coup d'état
| |
| |*coôdây-tà
| |
| |-
| |
| |coup de grace
| |
| |*coôdəgràss
| |
| |-
| |
| |coup de théâtre<ref>'Theatre' outside this phrase has no accents and is pronounced *thêeətə(r).</ref>
| |
| |*coôdətay-átrə | |
| |-
| |
| |coupé
| |
| |coûpè
| |
| |-
| |
| |courgette<ref>British English; zucchini in American.</ref>
| |
| |*cŏr-zhét
| |
| |-
| |
| |cortège
| |
| |*cŏr-tézh
| |
| |-
| |
| |crème
| |
| |créme
| |
| |-
| |
| |crème brulé
| |
| |créme brûlây
| |
| |-
| |
| |crèpe
| |
| |crèpe
| |
| |-
| |
| |crochet
| |
| |*crôshây
| |
| |-
| |
| |croissant
| |
| |*quàson
| |
| |-
| |
| |crôquet
| |
| |*crôcây
| |
| |-
| |
| |croquette
| |
| |*crockét
| |
| |-
| |
| |croquignole
| |
| |*cróckêen-yôle
| |
| |-
| |
| |croquis
| |
| |*cróck-êe
| |
| |-
| |
| |croupier
| |
| |*croôpêeây
| |
| |-
| |
| |croustade
| |
| |*crùs-tàd
| |
| |-
| |
| |crouton
| |
| |*croôton
| |
| |-
| |
| |cuirassier
| |
| |quêer-ássiây
| |
| |-
| |
| |cuisine
| |
| |*quêe-zêen
| |
| |-
| |
| |cul-de-sac
| |
| |*cúll de sáck
| |
| |-
| |
| |culotte
| |
| |*culót
| |
| |-
| |
| |curé
| |
| |*cyûrây
| |
| |-
| |
| |curetage
| |
| |*cyùretàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |curette, curet
| |
| |*cyurét
| |
| |-
| |
| |demimonde, demimondaine
| |
| |démimonde, demimondâine
| |
| |-
| |
| |debâcle
| |
| |debàcle
| |
| |-
| |
| |débris
| |
| |BrE *débrêe or *dèbrêe, AmE *dəbrêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |début
| |
| |*dèbyû or *débyû
| |
| |-
| |
| |débutant
| |
| |*dèbyûtàn or *débyûtàn
| |
| |-
| |
| |décolletage ''noun'', décolleté ''male'', décolletée ''female''
| |
| |*daycoletàzh, daycoletây
| |
| |-
| |
| |déclassé
| |
| |declássè
| |
| |-
| |
| |dégringolade
| |
| |dây-gráng-go-làd
| |
| |-
| |
| |de haut en bas
| |
| |də-ôwàn-bà
| |
| |-
| |
| |déjà vu
| |
| |*dèzhà-vû
| |
| |-
| |
| |deluxe, de luxe
| |
| |*də-lúxe, də-lûxe
| |
| |-
| |
| |de rigueur
| |
| |*dərigër - hard g
| |
| |-
| |
| |dernier cri
| |
| |*dãirny-ãir-crêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |derrière
| |
| |Dérry ãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |détente
| |
| |*daytànt
| |
| |-
| |
| |de trop
| |
| |*dətrô
| |
| |-
| |
| |demimondaine
| |
| |*démimon-dâne
| |
| |-
| |
| |discothèque
| |
| |*díscoték
| |
| |-
| |
| |divorcé ''man'', divorcée ''woman''; divorcee ''either''
| |
| |divorsây; divorcêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |double-entendre
| |
| |*doôblon-tóndrə
| |
| |-
| |
| |douche
| |
| |*doôsh
| |
| |-
| |
| |doyen ''man'', doyenne ''woman''
| |
| |doyén
| |
| |-
| |
| |du jour <ref>Used only in expressions with a preceeding noun: soupe du jour, buzzword du jour, starlet du jour, etc.</ref>
| |
| |dû-zhûr | |
| |-
| |
| |eau-de-Cologne
| |
| |*ôda-Colône
| |
| |-
| |
| |eau-de-vie
| |
| |*ôda-vêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |éclair
| |
| |eclãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |éclat
| |
| |*è-clà
| |
| |-
| |
| |élan
| |
| |*è-làn
| |
| |-
| |
| |émigré
| |
| |émigrè
| |
| |-
| |
| |en attendant
| |
| |*onətóndón
| |
| |-
| |
| |en banc
| |
| |*onbónc
| |
| |-
| |
| |en bloc, bloc
| |
| |ón blóck, blóc
| |
| |-
| |
| |en brochette
| |
| |*onbroshét
| |
| |-
| |
| |enceinte
| |
| |*onsánt
| |
| |-
| |
| |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
| |
| |-
| |
| |façade
| |
| |*fassàd
| |
| |-
| |
| |fait accompli
| |
| |*fétəcóm-plêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |faute de mieux
| |
| |fôte de myə
| |
| |-
| |
| |fête ''festival''
| |
| |= fâte ''destiny''
| |
| |-
| |
| |fiancé ''man'', fiancée ''woman''
| |
| |*fì-ànsây
| |
| |-
| |
| |flânerie
| |
| |*flánə-rìe
| |
| |-
| |
| |flâneur
| |
| |flanëur
| |
| |-
| |
| |foie gras
| |
| |*fwà-grà
| |
| |-
| |
| |folie à deux
| |
| |*folìà-dë
| |
| |-
| |
| |fondant
| |
| |*fóndàn
| |
| |-
| |
| |franc
| |
| |= Frank ''person''
| |
| |-
| |
| |frisée, frisé
| |
| |*frìzây
| |
| |-
| |
| |frisson
| |
| |frìsson
| |
| |-
| |
| |frottage
| |
| |*frótàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |frou-frou
| |
| |froû-frou
| |
| |-
| |
| |fuselage
| |
| |*fûsilàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |fusil
| |
| |*fûzil
| |
| |-
| |
| |fusilier, fusileer
| |
| |fusilêer
| |
| |-
| |
| |fusillade
| |
| |*fuzilàd
| |
| |-
| |
| |gaffe ''mistake''
| |
| |= gáff ''blow, fishing''
| |
| |-
| |
| |garage
| |
| |AmE *gəràzh, *gəràj, BrE *gáràj, *gáràzh or the despised *gáríj
| |
| |-
| |
| |garçon
| |
| |*gà(r)són
| |
| |-
| |
| |garde-manger
| |
| |*gà(r)dmàn-zhây
| |
| |-
| |
| |gâteau, gâteaux
| |
| |*gáttô, *gáttôz
| |
| |-
| |
| |genre
| |
| |*zhónrə
| |
| |-
| |
| |gigot
| |
| |*zhêego
| |
| |-
| |
| |glacée
| |
| |glássây
| |
| |-
| |
| |grand prix
| |
| |*gràm-prêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |grande dame
| |
| |*gràn-dám
| |
| |-
| |
| |gruyère
| |
| |gruyére
| |
| |-
| |
| |guillotine
| |
| |*gilətêen
| |
| |-
| |
| |haute cuisine
| |
| |ôat-kwì-zêen
| |
| |-
| |
| |haute couture
| |
| |ôat-coô-tûre
| |
| |-
| |
| |honi soit qui mal y pense
| |
| |*ónny-swà-kêe-málly-pànss
| |
| |-
| |
| |hors commerce
| |
| |*orcommérce
| |
| |-
| |
| |hors d'œuvre
| |
| |*ŏ(r)-dëvr
| |
| |-
| |
| |idée fixe
| |
| |*êedây fêex
| |
| |-
| |
| |infusion
| |
| |*ánfûzi-ón
| |
| |-
| |
| |ingénue
| |
| |*ánzhé-nû
| |
| |-
| |
| |je ne sais quoi
| |
| |zhənəsâi-kwà
| |
| |-
| |
| |jeté
| |
| |*zhətay
| |
| |-
| |
| |jeu d'esprit
| |
| |*zhëdé-sprêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |jeunesse dorée
| |
| |*zhənéss-dórây
| |
| |-
| |
| |joie de vivre
| |
| |*zhwàd-vìvrə
| |
| |-
| |
| |julienne
| |
| |juliénne, *zhulién
| |
| |-
| |
| |képi
| |
| |= KP, *kây-pêe,
| |
| |-
| |
| |laissez-faire
| |
| |= lây sây fãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |largesse
| |
| |*larzhéss
| |
| |-
| |
| |lavabo
| |
| |lavàbo
| |
| |-
| |
| |lavage
| |
| |*lavàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |lavaliere or lavalliere ''pendant''
| |
| |*lavalìer
| |
| |-
| |
| |lavalier or lavaliere ''microphone''
| |
| |*ləválier
| |
| |-
| |
| |lèse-majesté
| |
| |lâys *mázhestay
| |
| |-
| |
| |littérateur
| |
| |literatë(r)
| |
| |-
| |
| |lorgnette, lorgnon
| |
| |lornyét, lornyón
| |
| |-
| |
| |louche
| |
| |*loôsh
| |
| |-
| |
| |machine
| |
| |*məshêen
| |
| |-
| |
| |madame ''brothel'', Madame ''title''
| |
| |madáme, cf. mádam ''shopping''
| |
| |-
| |
| |maisonette
| |
| |maizonét
| |
| |-
| |
| |maître d'hôtel
| |
| |*métradô-tél, mâitradô-tél
| |
| |-
| |
| |mandoline (also 'mandolin' in English)
| |
| |mándə-lín
| |
| |-
| |
| |marque ''type''
| |
| |= màrk ''write'' = Màrk ''person''
| |
| |-
| |
| |marquee
| |
| |= màrr kêy
| |
| |-
| |
| |matinée
| |
| |mátinèe
| |
| |-
| |
| |mayonnaise
| |
| |mayonnâise
| |
| |-
| |
| |mélange
| |
| |*mây-lànzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |ménage à trois
| |
| |*ménàzhà-twà
| |
| |-
| |
| |menagerie
| |
| |*menádgery
| |
| |-
| |
| |menu
| |
| |*ményu
| |
| |-
| |
| |merlon
| |
| |mérlon
| |
| |-
| |
| |merlot
| |
| |*merlô
| |
| |-
| |
| |Messrs. (abbreviation of ''Messieurs'')
| |
| |*méssers
| |
| |-
| |
| |métier
| |
| |*mâytiây
| |
| |-
| |
| |moi (first person pronoun)
| |
| |*mwà
| |
| |-
| |
| |Monsieur
| |
| |*Məsyər
| |
| |-
| |
| |montage
| |
| |*móntàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |montagnard
| |
| |*móntanyar
| |
| |-
| |
| |mot juste, le mot juste
| |
| |*mô-zhûst, ləmô-zhûst
| |
| |-
| |
| |naïve
| |
| |*nî-yêeve
| |
| |-
| |
| |naïveté<ref>There is also the anglicisation '''naìvity''', *nà-ìvity.</ref>
| |
| |*nî-yeevì-tây | |
| |-
| |
| |négligee, négligé
| |
| |néglizhây
| |
| |-
| |
| |Nez Percé
| |
| |*Naypãir sây, *Néz-Pérss, *Nézperz
| |
| |-
| |
| |niche
| |
| |*nêesh
| |
| |-
| |
| |noblesse oblige
| |
| |nô bléss *oblêezh
| |
| |-
| |
| |noir
| |
| |*nwàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |nom de guerre
| |
| |*nóm-de-gãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |nom de plume
| |
| |nóm de plûme
| |
| |-
| |
| |nouveau riche
| |
| |*noôvô-rêesh
| |
| |-
| |
| |nouvelle
| |
| |nuvél
| |
| |-
| |
| |nouvelle cuisine
| |
| |nuvél-quizêen
| |
| |-
| |
| |nouvelle vague
| |
| |nuvél-vàg
| |
| |-
| |
| |objet d'art
| |
| |óbzhâi-dàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |objet trouvé
| |
| |óbzhâi-troûvây
| |
| |-
| |
| |odalisque
| |
| |*ôdalísk
| |
| |-
| |
| |œuvre
| |
| |*ëvr
| |
| |-
| |
| |outré
| |
| |oûtrè
| |
| |-
| |
| |pain-au-chocolat
| |
| |pánnoshoko-là
| |
| |-
| |
| |parquet
| |
| |pà(r)kây
| |
| |-
| |
| |parvenu
| |
| |*pà(r)vən(y)û
| |
| |-
| |
| |pas de bourrée
| |
| |*pàdə-boùray
| |
| |-
| |
| |pas de chat
| |
| |*pàdəboùray
| |
| |-
| |
| |pas de deux
| |
| |*pàdə-dë
| |
| |-
| |
| |pas de quatre
| |
| |*pàdə-kátr
| |
| |-
| |
| |pas de trois
| |
| |*pàdə-twà
| |
| |-
| |
| |passé
| |
| |pássè
| |
| |-
| |
| passe-partout
| |
| |pâté
| |
| |pátè
| |
| |-
| |
| |pied-à-terre
| |
| |*pyédà-téə(r)
| |
| |-
| |
| |pince-nez
| |
| |*pánss-nây
| |
| |-
| |
| |pinot noir
| |
| |*pêeno-nwàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |pirogue
| |
| |pirôgue
| |
| |-
| |
| |pirouette
| |
| |pirouétte
| |
| |-
| |
| |pis aller
| |
| |pêace *állây
| |
| |-
| |
| |pissoir
| |
| |*pêeswahr
| |
| |-
| |
| |piste
| |
| |*pêast
| |
| |-
| |
| |pláteau, pláteaux ''plural''
| |
| |*pláttô, *plátôz; in both, the second syllable is stressed in AmE
| |
| |-
| |
| |pommée
| |
| |pómmây
| |
| |-
| |
| |portmanteau
| |
| |portmántô
| |
| |-
| |
| |poseur
| |
| |*pô-zë(r)
| |
| |-
| |
| |pot-pourri
| |
| |*pôpu-rêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |pouf, pouffe, pouffet
| |
| |poùf, *poùf, *poùffay
| |
| |-
| |
| |poularde
| |
| |poûlarde
| |
| |-
| |
| |pourboire
| |
| |*porbwàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |pourparler
| |
| |*porpàrlay
| |
| |-
| |
| |pousse-café
| |
| |poûss-cafây
| |
| |-
| |
| |poussette
| |
| |poû-sét
| |
| |-
| |
| |proneur
| |
| |prón-ër
| |
| |-
| |
| |protégé
| |
| |*prôtezhây
| |
| |-
| |
| |Provençal
| |
| |*Provonssàl
| |
| |-
| |
| |puisne ''judge''
| |
| |= pûny ''small''
| |
| |-
| |
| |pourboire
| |
| |*porbwàr
| |
| |-
| |
| |pourparler
| |
| |*porpàrlây
| |
| |-
| |
| |pourpoint
| |
| |*porpwàn
| |
| |-
| |
| |pousse-café
| |
| |poosscaffây
| |
| |-
| |
| |poussette
| |
| |poôssét
| |
| |-
| |
| |purée
| |
| |pûrây
| |
| |-
| |
| |quiche
| |
| |*kêesh
| |
| |-
| |
| |raclette
| |
| |*rác-lét
| |
| |-
| |
| |raconteur
| |
| |*rácon-të(r)
| |
| |-
| |
| |ragout
| |
| |ragoû
| |
| |-
| |
| |raison d’être
| |
| |*râizon-détrə
| |
| |-
| |
| |recherché
| |
| |rəshãirshây
| |
| |-
| |
| |rendezvous
| |
| |*róndâyvoô, róndivoô
| |
| |-
| |
| |renifleur
| |
| |*rəníflë(r), *rənì-flë(r), *réniflë(r)
| |
| |-
| |
| |renaissance
| |
| |*renâisàhnss
| |
| |-
| |
| |rentier
| |
| |*ràntêeây
| |
| |-
| |
| |résumé <ref>The second accent (not usually both) is often used to avoid confusion with '''resûme'''.</ref>
| |
| |*rézyumây, *râyzyumây, cf. resûme (*rizyûme)
| |
| |-
| |
| |revanche
| |
| |*revànsh
| |
| |-
| |
| |ricochet
| |
| |*rícəshây
| |
| |-
| |
| |riposte
| |
| |ripóste
| |
| |-
| |
| |risqué
| |
| |*rískây, *rêeskây
| |
| |-
| |
| |rôle ''part''
| |
| |= rôll ''over, eat''
| |
| |-
| |
| |rondure
| |
| |rondûre
| |
| |-
| |
| |roquefort
| |
| |BrE róck fŏr, AmE *rôkefərt, *rôkefŏrt
| |
| |-
| |
| |rosé ''wine''
| |
| |*ro-zây
| |
| |-
| |
| |rosette
| |
| |*rozét
| |
| |-
| |
| |roué
| |
| |roûè (*roôwây)
| |
| |-
| |
| |roulette
| |
| |*roulét
| |
| |-
| |
| |rouge
| |
| |*roûzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |sabotage
| |
| |*sábotàzh
| |
| |-
| |
| |sans
| |
| |sáns
| |
| |-
| |
| |sans culotte
| |
| |sàncû-lót
| |
| |-
| |
| |sauté
| |
| |*sôtây
| |
| |-
| |
| |sauterne, sauternes ''plural'' | |
| |sô-térn
| |
| |-
| |
| |sauvignon blanc
| |
| |sôvêenyàn-blàn
| |
| |-
| |
| |savoir-faire
| |
| |*sávwà-fãir
| |
| |-
| |
| |savoir-vivre
| |
| |*sávwà-vìvrə
| |
| |-
| |
| |séance
| |
| |*sâyónce
| |
| |-
| |
| |sobriquet
| |
| |*sóbrikây
| |
| |-
| |
| |soiree
| |
| |*swàray
| |
| |-
| |
| |soixante-neuf
| |
| |*swàsont-nëf
| |
| |-
| |
| |son et lumière
| |
| |*sonaylumiére
| |
| |-
| |
| |sorbet
| |
| |*sŏrbay
| |
| |-
| |
| |sortie
| |
| |sŏrtie
| |
| |-
| |
| |soubrette
| |
| |*soûbrét
| |
| |-
| |
| |soufflé
| |
| |*soûflây
| |
| |-
| |
| |soupçon
| |
| |*soûpsón
| |
| |-
| |
| |sous vide, sous-vide
| |
| |soô-vêed
| |
| |-
| |
| |steak tartare, or steack tartare
| |
| |steâk tartàre
| |
| |-
| |
| |suture
| |
| |sûture
| |
| |-
| |
| |table d’hôte
| |
| |*tàbla-dôte
| |
| |-
| |
| |tábleau, tábleaux ''plural''
| |
| |*táblô, *táblôz
| |
| |-
| |
| |terrine
| |
| |terrìne
| |
| |-
| |
| |tête-à-tête
| |
| |*tétà-tét
| |
| |-
| |
| |touché
| |
| |*tooshây
| |
| |-
| |
| |tour de force
| |
| |toûr de fŏrce
| |
| |-
| |
| |Tour de France
| |
| |Toûr de Frànce
| |
| |-
| |
| |tourniquet
| |
| |toûrnikây
| |
| |-
| |
| |travail
| |
| |travâil
| |
| |-
| |
| |triage
| |
| |trîage
| |
| |-
| |
| |triste
| |
| |trêest
| |
| |-
| |
| |trompe l'œil
| |
| |trómp-lŏy
| |
| |-
| |
| |troûsseau
| |
| |*trûsô (either stressed)
| |
| |-
| |
| |trouvaille
| |
| |*trouvaî
| |
| |-
| |
| |trouvère
| |
| |*trouvére
| |
| |-
| |
| |valìse
| |
| |*vəlêez
| |
| |-
| |
| |vermouth
| |
| |BrE *vërməth, AmE *vr-moôth
| |
| |-
| |
| |vingt-et-un (blackjack)
| |
| |*vántayán
| |
| |-
| |
| |vis-à-vis
| |
| |*víza-vêe, vêezà-vêe
| |
| |-
| |
| |vive...<ref>Used only in expressions with a following noun: vive le roi, vive la France, vive la différence, etc.</ref>
| |
| |*vêev
| |
| |-
| |
| |voilà
| |
| |*vwà-là
| |
| |-
| |
| |voyageur
| |
| |*vŏyázh-ër, *vwŷázh-ër
| |
| |-
| |
| |voyeur
| |
| |*vŏy-ër, *vwŷ-ër
| |
| |-
| |
| |}
| |
|
| |
|
| ==Notes== | | ==Notes== |
| {{reflist}} | | {{reflist}} |
|
| |
| ==See also==
| |
| *[[English alphabet]]
| |
| *[[English spellings]]
| |
| *[[Spelling pronunciation]]
| |
| *[[Letter (alphabet)]]
| |
| *[[Alphabet]]
| |
| *[[Writing system]]
| |
| *[[Orthography]]
| |
| *[[Written language]]
| |
| *[[Writing]]
| |
See the tab above for an extensive CATALOG of French words in English.
There have been French words in English since not long after the Norman Conquest. Chaucer imported those that end in -sion or -tion (though he often also spelt them -cion or -cioun).[1] More recent additions are ménû, machìne (-sh-), façàde (*fəssàd), crèpe and elìte (the accents, which are not the same as the ones used in French, show stress and pronunciation, see English phonemes for the IPA and English spellings for a table). English more-or-less French pronunciation is typified by the proper names *Cítron, *Përzho and *Rénno for Cítroen, Pëugeot and Rénault (* before a word indicates a respelling). So fond of French words is the English language that some expressions that are identical or nearly so in English will receive a French-style pronunciation used in a French context: cohabitation (*coabitassión), a situation where the president and prime minister come from different parties, cf. cohabitâtion, living together; Front National (*Fronassionál), to contrast with the UK's Nátional Frònt.
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? Boulŏgne (*Bə-lŏin, as opposed to French 'Bû-lónyə') and Párís (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 generally 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 country Nigèr has a French-style pronunciation, *Nì-zhãir - in contrast to Nigêria (*Nîjêria) and the river Nîger. Being a syllable-timed language, French has no tonic accent, so when a new French word appears in the news, it may receive several pronunciations, as with Alassane Ouattara's name at the beginning of 2011, in which it seems equally acceptable, and perhaps equally unsatisfactory, to stress any one of the three A's (or indeed any two of the six, though the first name usually receives a light stress on the final A, typical of French speech).
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 (as are also the cedilla in curaçao, probably from Portuguese, and the umlaut in the German doppelgänger).
Index
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
Notes
- ↑ The latter is not used nowadays, while -cion occurs only in a few words, such as suspícion
