Speaking 'properly' & the French

[elady25]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "wyllaya" <wyllaya1 at h...> 
wrote:
> 
> bboyminn:
> >  I hate to trash the French and their language, but I've never 
> > seen another language where words are pronounce so differently 
> than  they are spelled. What is the purpose of all those letters in 
> a word  if notto lend a clue as to how the word is pronounced? 
>  Example:  bour·geois (boor-zhwä) [should sound similar 
> to 'gorgeous' but with a 'B' instead of the first 'G', and an odd 
> inflection on the second 'G'.] Ok, I can get the odd 'G' 
> pronunciation, just like I can get that
> 'J'='H' in Spanish (Juan = Hwan or Jesus = Hey-sous), but how on 
>  earth does 'eois' become 'wa'. < <
> 
> 
> Lol! I never realise you guys, think (we) French have bizarre 
> pronunciation, I will try to explain bourgeois. Ok, so I guess you 
> already know that our (French)''G'' is your ''J'' and vise versa so 
> in bourgeois the ''g'' is suppose to be pronounced like ''gah'' but 
> because of the ''E'' right after, we prononce it like your ''J'' ex 
> John or Jean, ''OI'' is always prononce ''WA'' the ''S'' in the end 
> is silent so ''BOURGEOIS'' is prononce ''BHOORZWA''. 
> 
>                                     I did the best I could, 
>                                           wyllaya

I have a French last name; it came with the man I married.  It is 
spelled Champoux, but we pronunce it as if it were Champeaux, because 
otherwise it would sound like shampoo.  My hubby has gone by the 
nickname of Shampoo before, and to one of his ex-girlfriends father 
he was known only as "Soapy."

imamommy