"Target" as a French word?

[Wilson Gray]

I've heard "Target" pronounced as "Tar ZHAY" for the past couple of
years or so. Like Red Lobster, Target has ads on local TV, though
neither chain has a local outlet in this area. I assume that the
Frenchified pronunciation is just a joke, like referring to a
neighborhood beer bar as the "El God-Damn," thereby adding a touch of
ironic pseudo-class.

-Wilson Gray

On Jan 16, 2005, at 8:55 PM, Paul Zebe wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Paul Zebe <PZebe at CS.COM>
> Subject:      "Target" as a French word?
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Can anyone tell me about "Target" (the store) pronounced as a French
> word?
> That pronunciation has reportedly been used in the Nashville area
> within the
> past 10 years.  Could it be a joke played on a New England schoolmarm
> by her
> Southern students?
>
> Curiously,
> Paul Zebe
>