oh-MAHZH

[Ron Butters]

In a message dated 4/29/99 11:28:54 PM, maberry at U.WASHINGTON.EDU writes:

<< I've heard it--don't like it. I suppose it would be fine if we were
speaking French, although the strong stress that I've heard on the last
syllable would still sound strange.

It's odd that pseudo-French homAGE seems acceptable to the point that some
don't notice, but, if you were to say GARage, people would assume you were
British or at least trying to sound that way. >>

As far as stress is concerned, hoMAGE doesn't sound any weirder to me than
reSPECT.

I think I tend to say oh-MAHZH myself. Living in a part of the country where
people say UHM-bull for "humble," I think my use of the Frenchified
pronunciation of "homage" reflects an uncertainty about whether hearers
expect me to say "AHM-idge" or "HAH-midge." In this respect, oh-MAHZH can't
be "wrong" cuz that is how the French say it. (Why would one characterizes it
as "pseudo-French"? Is rahn-dey-voo also "pseudo-French"? Do we have to say
HERB rather than ERB in order to avoid being "pseudo-French"?)

For those who love to cite authority, the NEW OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY lists
"HAH-midge" as the only acceptable pronunciation. Did anyone check any other
dictionaries?