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Food Pronunciation Guide for the Dim-witted

Varmint

By Varmint
in Food Traditions & Culture

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chefzadi

chefzadi

Posted
Posted
..I hear the vowel as an "o" sound, not an "uh" or "ah" sound, but not an "o-w" sound. There is no exact equivalent in my accent/dialect of English. It's sort of half between "bone" and "bun" to me. Then again, I am no native speaker of French.

It is most definitely "bun" :smile:

Oops... lost the reference:

pronunciatiation of "bonnes" in "bonnes bouches"

Maybe I'm missing something here. Are you saying that "bonnes" is pronounced "bun"?

I can be reached via email chefzadi AT gmail DOT com

Dean of Culinary Arts

Ecole de Cuisine: Culinary School Los Angeles

http://ecolecuisine.com

gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted
...There is no exact equivalent in my accent/dialect of English. It's sort of half between "bone" and "bun" to me. Then again, I am no native speaker of French.

...It is most definitely "bun"...

Maybe I'm missing something here. Are you saying that "bonnes" is pronounced "bun"?

just saying that the "o" sound in bonnes (Fr) is closer to the "u" in bun (Eng) than it is to the "o" in bone (Eng). Obviously this is not directed to francophones (whatever their origin) but is intended to explain the sound to an anglophone who is unfamiliar with the pronunciation.

That said, without actually hearing how the person pronounces "bun" ...

... Here is an audio file of bonne nuit (couldn't find bonnes bouche) that gives a fair idea of how the bonne would sound in bonnes bouches

bonne nuit

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

chefzadi

chefzadi

Posted
Posted
...There is no exact equivalent in my accent/dialect of English. It's sort of half between "bone" and "bun" to me. Then again, I am no native speaker of French.

...It is most definitely "bun"...

Maybe I'm missing something here. Are you saying that "bonnes" is pronounced "bun"?

just saying that the "o" sound in bonnes (Fr) is closer to the "u" in bun (Eng) than it is to the "o" in bone (Eng). Obviously this is not directed to francophones (whatever their origin) but is intended to explain the sound to an anglophone who is unfamiliar with the pronunciation.

That said, without actually hearing how the person pronounces "bun" ...

... Here is an audio file of bonne nuit (couldn't find bonnes bouche) that gives a fair idea of how the bonne would sound in bonnes bouches

bonne nuit

gotcha.

i had images of people saying bun like hotdog bun. :biggrin:

I can be reached via email chefzadi AT gmail DOT com

Dean of Culinary Arts

Ecole de Cuisine: Culinary School Los Angeles

http://ecolecuisine.com

  • 2 months later...
Ling

Ling

Posted
Posted

Is "Joie" pronounced "joi" or "zhwa" (with 2 dots on the a, but I don't know how to type that in)?

The first time I ordered this wine back in March, I think I assumed that it was pronounced the French way, but since then, I've heard sommeliers pronounce it "joi" (joy) so now I'm confused.

Help?

Lorna Yee

the cool kids at belltown lofts

The Cookbook Chronicles

gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted
Of course, I think it's embarrassing to say a French word in English...I shudder when people talk about their Somalia Certificates. :blink:

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

I heard it pronounced that way for the first time last weekend, but with an r at the end! Yes, my B-I-L told us his daughter was taking a Somaliar course in TO ... I tried to correct their pronunciation, but to no avail... so, Somaliar it is! :rolleyes:

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

baconburner

baconburner

Posted
Posted

Hi

Beaulieu

I ran into this one in England with my English wife. I speak French and pronounced it the way that I normally would i.e. bow li yew (Close) and was met with a blank look. In england it is pronounced bewly

Cheers

Poorsh

MarketStEl

MarketStEl

Posted
Posted (edited)
Since it's food-related, how's the French hypermarket Carrefour pronounced? Most people here either call it Car-4 or Kah-Foo.  :wink:

Kah-rrrrruh-FOOH-(rrrr), the last syllable in parentheses because barely pronounced, and the "rrrrr" referring to what I call the about-to-expectorate sound at the back of the palate

Dusting this exchange off and adding a twist:

And what exactly is "un carrefour"?

Edited by MarketStEl (log)

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted
...And what exactly is "un carrefour"?

Technically speaking, a crossroads, junction, intersection, town square...

Figuratively speaking, the centre or hub of activity, ideas and the like.

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

Mooshmouse

Mooshmouse

Posted
Posted
Is "Joie" pronounced "joi" or "zhwa" (with 2 dots on the a, but I don't know how to type that in)?

The first time I ordered this wine back in March, I think I assumed that it was pronounced the French way, but since then, I've heard sommeliers pronounce it "joi" (joy) so now I'm confused.

Help?

Hey... I resemble that remark. :raz:

And, for the record, I go by "joy". French-speaking friends call me "zhwa" (yes, with the umlaut over the 'a'). Members of my family call me "joey" and it still gets my goat. Substitute teachers even called me "joyce" and "josie". :blink:

That being said, I love Joie's first release Chard and their Year One Noble Blend. According to Michael Dinn, the future brings more new adventures in winemaking. :biggrin:

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted
Is "Joie" pronounced "joi" or "zhwa" (with 2 dots on the a, but I don't know how to type that in)?

The first time I ordered this wine back in March, I think I assumed that it was pronounced the French way, but since then, I've heard sommeliers pronounce it "joi" (joy) so now I'm confused.

Help?

Hey... I resemble that remark. :raz:

And, for the record, I go by "joy". French-speaking friends call me "zhwa" (yes, with the umlaut over the 'a'). Members of my family call me "joey" and it still gets my goat. Substitute teachers even called me "joyce" and "josie". :blink:

That being said, I love Joie's first release Chard and their Year One Noble Blend. According to Michael Dinn, the future brings more new adventures in winemaking. :biggrin:

To actually answer Lorna's question :hmmm: ... the winery name is pronounced "zwha". Or at least that's how Michael & Heidi pronounced it.

A.

gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted
Ok one more: rillettes

ree-yet

If you know how to pronounce the French word fillette (little girl), it's the same but starts with an r

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

Eden

Eden

Posted
Posted

My turn: lucques?

I'm sitting here curing olives I'm not sure how to pronounce, it seems wrong...

Do you suffer from Acute Culinary Syndrome? Maybe it's time to get help...

chefboy24

chefboy24

Posted
Posted

i would like to add

I'm pretty sure brunoise, nicoise, and vichysoise

are pronounced SWAHHZ, right? not swa?

because that is my biggest pet peeve in the kitchen, every damn cook calling it "brunwah"

right?

(I took spanish in highschool, no regrets of course, but I wish I had a firmer grasp of french pronunciation)

Milagai

Milagai

Posted
Posted
i would like to add

I'm pretty sure brunoise, nicoise, and vichysoise

are pronounced SWAHHZ, right?  not swa?

because that is my biggest pet peeve in the kitchen, every damn cook calling it "brunwah"

right?

(I took spanish in highschool, no regrets of course, but I wish I had a firmer grasp of french pronunciation)

You are right.

The rule for French words is: if it ends in "oise" then you say the s sound.

If it ends in "ois" then the s is silent

(as per my college French classes; confirmed by my French speaking

relatives).

Milagai

  • 7 months later...
Kim Shook

Kim Shook

Posted
Posted

I am tossing the American Heritage Dictionary. It lists 'ex-presso' as an alternative pronunciation of es-presso, 'kul-linary' as an alternative to 'kyoo-linary' and (my own personal biggest pet peeve) 'kar-mel' as an alternative to 'ka-ra-mel'. :angry::blink::angry: ! OK. So maybe it's only me that gets all flipped out over this stuff :rolleyes: . Does anyone else out there get steamed over what you consider (because, of course, I could be totally wrong :raz: ) to be mispronunciation of words? It doesn't bother me at all when it is my mom or someone I am serving at work, but when it is a so-called professional on TV, I get sooooo pissed. I may need help here :unsure: .

Kim

Kim's Cookbook

What Fresh Hell is This?

joiei

joiei

Posted
Posted (edited)
I am tossing the American Heritage Dictionary.  It lists 'ex-presso' as an alternative pronunciation of es-presso, 'kul-linary' as an alternative to 'kyoo-linary' and (my own personal biggest pet peeve) 'kar-mel' as an alternative to 'ka-ra-mel'.   :angry:  :blink:  :angry: !  OK.  So maybe it's only me that gets all flipped out over this stuff  :rolleyes: .  Does anyone else out there get steamed over what you consider (because, of course, I could be totally wrong  :raz: ) to be mispronunciation of words?  It doesn't bother me at all when it is my mom or someone I am serving at work, but when it is a so-called professional on TV, I get sooooo pissed.   I may need help here  :unsure: .

kar-mel is a town on the california coast, not a wonderful treat. I agree with you.

oops, Carmel is a nice little touristy town in its own right, but it ain't no caramel.

edited to try to correct my mistatement.

Edited by joiei (log)

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

PopsicleToze

PopsicleToze

Posted
Posted

It's not just you. I once called Hallmark because of an incorrect spelling on all of their cards. The cards all referred to (Boss's Day). That was NOT what I was taught when I was in school.

Imagine you're an editor for Hallmark and some unknown caller actually calls you to correct a grammatical error. I can still hear the frost in her voice, "Dear, didn't you know that the English language continuously evolves?" :blink:

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

I let these things go now without saying a word. :wink:

Rhonda

Food blog - Honeysuckles and Huckleberries... growing up in the Louisiana Countryside

alanamoana

alanamoana

Posted
Posted

i don't really get pissed off when it has to do with regional inflections (i.e. pray-leen vs. prah-leen)

ex-presso is NEVER correct.

i'm not too sure about the kyoo-linary thing. i don't run around telling people i went to kyoo-linary school. it sounds pretentious to me even though it is the older pronunciation.

but correct word usage and pronunciation are important if fleeting.

on this site in particular people are constantly referring to their palate as a palette! i could go on and on, but it really isn't worth it as i'm not perfect myself.

and although language does evolve, i feel as if it should evolve to become sharp and clear as opposed to muddied and confused.

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