an American "Cholmondeley"?

[Paul Johnston]

Louisiana (and other North American) French surnames can be a pitfall, even if (perhaps *especially* if) you know Standard French.  I have to ask, "Is that ____?"

He was from Rhode Island, of Quebecois ancestry, but a classic one was the old time ballplayer Napoleon Lajoie.  My dad was old enough to have seen him play, and to him (and to me, therefore) he was "luh-JOEY", completely Anglicized.  Reportedly, he pronounced it "LAZH-a-way" himself (except for the stress, closer to the Quebec pronunciation).  Wikipedia lists "la-ZHWA" first, but I've never heard this from anyone talking about him--unless, of course, they were French.  There must be Lajoies around in Louisiana (there are in Maine, mostly LAZHaways), but god knows what is usual in Cajunland.

Paul Johnston
On Oct 5, 2010, at 8:43 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      an American "Cholmondeley"?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Tony Chachere is a spectacled elf in a floppy toque who prepares Tony
> Chachere's Famous Creole Seasoning for commercial sale.  He is three or
> four inches tall.
>
> That certainly speaks for American diversity, but what is more interesting
> is the pronunciation of "Chachere." In fact, Tony's TV commercial turns on
> the inability of amateur gourmets to pronounce his name correctly, even as
> they enjoy the revolutionary savor of his advanced seasoning.  The tireless
> elf must correct each fan personally before he bounds and somersaults
> elsewhere.
>
> The Elvish pronunciation of "Chachere" is "SASH-eree."  Few, presumably,
> would have thunk.
>
> JL
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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