Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor514ce
Must I point out the obvious, that everything French people say in English sounds silly? I spend a lot of time in Quebec, and while I guess I wouldn't classify their French as a more pure version of the language, it is much easier on American ears. A more manly, cold-enduring, hockey-playing, poutine-eating bunch entirely.
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I agree about the accent being more manly, which is a problem when it comes to a woman speaking.
I think you're right about French people sounding silly when speaking English, especially the French from France. I know of no other nationality that has more trouble pronouncing foreign words. This French buddy of mine, he was arguing with me about how to pronounce an English word. We asked a native English speaker, who confirmed my version. The French guy turns around and says it's the way the (English) word is pronounced in France, that is in "French" English, as if there were a particular dialect of English spoken in France, like US English or British English. He was serious, but I just laughed at him of course. Then I though about it, and you know what, I think he's on to something. Have you noticed how the French say "zee" instead of "the"? Well, say you were going to pronounce the word "the" in French. The regular way to pronounce it would sound something like "tuh" or "duh". Where do they get the z sound? They learned to pronounce it that way at school, from a non-native English speaker, who himself learned to pronounce it that way from another non-native English speaker... and this has become generalized in France. Only in France could this be possible, because only the French are proud and chauvenistic enough to think that their pronunciation of a foreign language is as valid as any other.