Quote:
Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel
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(ps, it's the short form of "emmanuel" and it's pronounced with that french "u" that you anglophones have such a hard time pronouncing.  )
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Curious, how does it relate to the "ew" and "oo" sounds (eg. "few" or "food" or "book" or...)?
My nephew calls my sister something that sounds a bit like "Mum-oo" (sort-of a bit between "food" and "book", but maybe not) rather than "Mum", and we follow in kind (though I occasionally emphasise the "moo" more than the "mum" bit
). My sister initially tried to correct our pronunciation of the word by seemingly repeating back to us exactly what we'd just said. Either we eventually got it right, or she gave up (though it would not do to overestimate her ability in pronunciation either). I have no idea how you would spell this word. "Maman" does not
look close to it, but...
We have similar separations between Tonton and Uncle (though The Loved One sometimes gets and enjoys "Tonton", especially when his given name is suitably francophoned too).
Cheers,
Marc