Roland Dudley writes >
>And isn't garage of French origin. I believe the British
>pronunciation is closer to the French. Probably for the same reason:
>proximity; not to mention the influence of the French language on
>English.
Quite the reverse, old man. The British Anglicize words from French much
faster than the Yanks, using the accent on the first syllable in nouns.
I think they don't want to sound like bloody Frenchmen.
French = ga-raj Yank = ga-RAJ (much harder J) British = GAR-idge or GAY-raj
A Yank will eat a french-sounding fil-LAY mig-NON,
whereas a Briton wants his FILL-it steak.
Maybe proximity breeds contempt?
OK, I have been wrong about other languages, now you Englishmen out there can
correct me! I am an American, a French-Canadian and Irish mix. I don't speak
French or Gaelic and I have never been across the pond, but I am willing to
learn.
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans Street, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676
h (612) 224-3105 w (612) 298-5324 phile@pwcs.stpaul.gov
"Carburetor is a French word meaning 'leave the damned things alone'."
- Dick O'Kane
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