… and their correct pronunciations:
Basil (bay-zill)
Boudin (the Cajun kind, “Boo-dan”)
Bouillabaisse (booyah bahss)
Bruschetta (broo-SKEH-tah)
Buffet (boo-fay)
Cabernet sauvignon (cabber-nay so-vin-yahwn)
Caramel (car-ah-mel)
Charcuterie (shahr-KOO-tuhr-ee)
Chipotle (chi-poht-lay)
Chorizo (chore-eetz-zo)
Cognac (cone-yack)
Coq au vin (co-ooh-vin)
Crudite (crew-da-tay)
Endive (en-dive)
Escargot (es-car-goh)
Espresso (es-press-o, no ex)
Fajitas (fah-hee-tahs)
Filet or Fillet (fill-ay)
Ghee (ghee, not jee)
Gnocchi (NYOH-kee)
Guacamole (wah-cah-moe-lay)
Gyro (YEER-oh)
Habanero (Hah-bahn-air-oh)
Herb (erb)
Horchata (orrchata, silent h, roll the r)
Hors d’oeuvres (ohr-derves)
Huitlacoche (wheet-lah-KOH-chay)
Mole (MOH-lay)
Muffuletta (MOO-fa-la-Tuh)
I got about half of them right. Some I’ve never heard of.
+1 Steve Don’t Eat It
From http://www.thesneeze.com/steve-dont-eat-it/:
“Cuitlacoche is a black fungus that infects corn fields, making the kernels bulbous and swollen as they fill with spores. It also goes by the name Huitlacoche. If you’re having trouble with the pronounciation, it’s: Cuitlacoche (kweet-lah-KOH-chay) or Huitlacoche (dat-sfuckin-NAS-tee).”
Wow… You guys pretty much had a field day with this post! If it’s any consolation to any of you that are so disgruntled by poor pronunciations, I’d just like to say, I eat my Hot Sheetos in the Chower! 😛
My attempts at some of the towns mentioned:
Cuyahoga – ky-a-HOO-gah or ky-OH-ga (ky to rhyme with ‘die’ or ‘rye’)
Pymatuming – pimma-TOO-ming
Kanawha – k’NAH-wha
Monongahela – mon-on-GAY-la
Tuscarawas – tusk-a-RAH-wa
Bucyrus – buh-SIGH-russ
Youghiogheny – Yodelay-eeh-hee! or yo-gYO-guh-nee
Hephzibah – hef-ZEE-ba
Suches – SOOSH (if it’s anywhere with French history) or SOO-shez
Lafayette – Come on, this is a common name. Surely it’s LAFF-eye-ett?
I make a MEAN muffuletta relish! Kalamata & stuffed olives, celery, pickled giardiniera (don’t ask how to pronounce that!), capers, pickled onions, garlic, spices, vinegar & oil. Put that on a sandwich with some Italian style meats (ham, salami, etc.) and cheese. EXCELLENT!
Maffu – Ky-a-HOE-ga, mo-non-ga-HE-la, HEP-z-ba, SUCH-as and la-FAY-ett. Also we pronounce Vienna as VIE-en-na
Most of them are just french … no wonder that you might have issues saying them
same with english words said by a french
Muh-non-guh-HAY-luh
A random video with someone who can say it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTyvOKo_Cq8&feature=youtube_gdata
I’ve never lived in a community that had more than 5 letters in it’s name.
DJ – Yeah but they all had at least one j and one k.
Well here in Louisiana- Lafayette is pronounced “LAUGH E ETTE” and we have a LOT of things that end in eaux- and that’s pronounced “oh” like Badeaux is Bad-oh. ha. Like Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes- Boo’d-roh & Tib-oh-doh. And towns here like Opelousas is “op-a-loose-says”
Being that I work with taxes- I get my fill for the day by having all the foreigners pronounce the cajun names or names of the streets, ha.