[HPforGrownups] Re: Use of Madam -" Madame" -Slight OT

[Taryn Kimel]

No: HPFGUIDX 87162

> Thren:
> 
> She's not  'madam', she's  'Madame'. There's a difference. There's no 
> distinction between 'Mrs' and 'madam' in French- Madame fulfills both 
> functions (to the best of my knowledge). I get called 'madame' in 
> shops about as often as I get called 'mademoiselle' (Miss). 

bboy_mn:

Just curious, how do the French pronounce 'Madame'?

MaaaaDaaaam - heavy on the somewhat short 'A's.

Taryn:
This looks like the closest to me. Both A's are Ahh sounds (like when the doctor tells you to "say ah!") with the accent on the second syllable. (Mah-DAHM is probably how I'd write it out.)

For the record, "Madame" DOES literally mean "my lady." Ma=my and dame=lady in French. *remembers when that first dawned on her in her first year of French.

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Taryn : http://taryn.shirataki.net

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