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20 years ago
Pronunciation of Gigondas
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20 years ago
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20 years ago
She obviously got too caught up in pronunciation "rules". As Emery says, the "s" is pronounced, just as it is in Cornas. I think I remember hearing that in the Rhone a lot of the local names go back to Gaelic/Celtic times.
A couple of years ago we were in a supposedly upscale restaurant in Lowell, MA (on way to Portland ME). Mediocre list, I thought a modest Gigondas was best choice. After repeating my order 3 times, I finally pointed on the menu. "Oh, you mean the Jig-GOND-ass!" the waitress exclaimed. :)
Dale
Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply
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20 years ago
As you've already been told, the trailing s is pronounced. The reason for this is that the French are quite scrupulous about prouncing names (including place names) according to the rules of the language from whence those names come. In the case of the South of France, it's recognized that the place names date from the times when the languages spoken there were Occitane -- so they are pronounced according to the rules of those languages.
[pedantic sidenote: the name of the Languedoc region comes from its linguistic heritage: Langue D'Oc, as opposed to the Francs up North speaking the Langue D'Oil, the precursor to modern French]Mark Lipton
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20 years ago
And, O pedantic one, it still exists as a living language (as you may know). I don't think it's as widespread as, say, Breton -- which is taught it schools and has radio and TV stations -- but there are plenty of folk who use it. Very melodious, too, it is.
-E
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20 years ago
Interesting. I once had a discussion with someone that insisted Roederer was pronoucned roe-der-ray, but I thought it was properly pronounced roe-der-rer, I suspect it's originally a German name. Now I wonder what the correct pronounciation really is.
Dana
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20 years ago
Correct.
roe-der-rer.
Although there are some traps with companies with original German names. Krug, e.g., is pronunced the German way (kroog), while both Taittinger and Bollinger, finish the French way on -jay, not -jer.
M.
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20 years ago
thought the "s"
those names
Occitane -- so
It *is* a pedantic aside I guess (g) but history is important. I doubt that Londres is pronounced "lunders" !
Jim.
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20 years ago
But if you ask for it in France and use the English pronounciation "roe-der-rer" they look puzzled since the French pronunciation is more...well...French with a bit of a throaty "Rrrro-dare-rrrrare". Bi!!
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20 years ago
And how does Reims become "Rance" and Vosne Romanee become "Vahn-Ro-man-ee"? I understand that Vosne is ancient French. Bi!!
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20 years ago
This is *exactly* the way that I say it (as far as I can tell from your description), and this is *exactly* what the "French expert" took exception to.
;-)
Dana
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20 years ago
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20 years ago
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20 years ago
] >>
] >It *is* a pedantic aside I guess (g) but history is important. I doubt ] >that Londres is pronounced "lunders" ! ] ] And how does Reims become "Rance" and Vosne Romanee become "Vahn-Ro-man-ee"? I ] understand that Vosne is ancient French. ] Bi!!
Bill,
I've never met anyone who can explain why you Reims your hair after washing it, but it seems to me that Vosne is standard pronunciation. An 's' before a consonant is often silent. "Isle" (eel) for instance.
An example in a place name around here is "les Aspres." Always confuses furriners, pronounced "lehs ap." (There is a tiny swallowed gutteral sound after the 'p', but I can't think how to write it...)
-E
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20 years ago
Obviously you've never been to Islip, New York! :-) Bi!!
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20 years ago
It's written Ap~, Emery! ;-)
Mark Lipton
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20 years ago
It seems as though I've been pronouncing it correctly! Phew. But another question--Veuve Cliquot. I always say "veuve" with the vowels resembling "look." But I have heard others pronounce "veuve" like "move" so many times that I'm questioning my pronunciation, although I thought my way was in keeping with French pronunciation. Help?
Cherie
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20 years ago
Think of how a posh brit would pronounce "verve". That's as close as I can get, without resorting to the phonetic alphabet...
Mike
Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link
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20 years ago
Thanks for the explanation Mark. It is interesting to know why it doesn't confirm to the standard rules of pronunciation. Thanks to everyone else that responded, also.
Fred