pronunciations--previously [no subject]

[Michael H Covarrubias]

Quoting Laurence Urdang <urdang at SBCGLOBAL.NET>:
> Garage is a borrowing, a loanword from French,
> and not a "Gallicism."   Unlike the British,
> who, owing to generations of wars, despise the
> French and warp everything they say if they
> can (and say GAR-idge just for spite),
> American speakers harbor no such venom and
> make an honest, though often unsuccessful
> effort at simulating the pronunciation of the
> original.

Yes I suppose the American venom towards the French...I mean the Freedom People
is less vitriolic than the British. Common pronunciations provide some fine
evidence: ahnvelope, ahmbiawnce, corsawge, coo-de-grah, ahnclave, homage...some
borrowings have retained a semblance of their original sounds. Some had lost an
original sound and have now regained it. Some have even changed to sound "more"
French in a mistaken attempt to follow what we think are the rules of French
pronunciation. I choose not to say much about "pseudo-French" forms because
"Gallicism" covers those forms that are *from* French and those that are merely
*like* French forms. Borrowed or not.

Yes "homage" is a borrowed word and there are descriptive rules for the
assimilation to English pronunciation when a word was borrowed more than 700
years ago. I'm sure that some who insist on reintroducing or just using a
Gallicized vowel are trying to use a prestige form. And I'm sure that some who
insist on that same pronunciation think it's a recent borrowing, or at least
that the pronunciation is standard. I'm not going to call shenanigans on either.

>   Covarrubias wishes to regard language
> clinically, without criticism or comment,
> accepting what he finds, much as the
> oncologist never tells you that cancer is
> "bad," then that is his privilege.

If I see a "cancer" threatening to destroy a language too quickly I'll judge it.
I'll say it's "bad." But I'm not going to suggest that every freckle be chopped off.

Michael

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