ext_261807 ([identity profile] politicking.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] babynames2007-10-20 02:31 am

(no subject)

pronunciations of... Genevieve & Guinevere?
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[identity profile] americandiva.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
Genevieve - Jen-ah-vieve

Guinevere - Gwen-ah-vere

at least that is how i pn them lol

[identity profile] christhiane.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
My teacher who speaks French pronounced Genevieve 'shean-vee-ev,' with a voiced sh.

[identity profile] 0o-faerie.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
I'd say Jen-a-veev & Gwin-a-vere.
And in Dutch I'd pronounce Genevieve very differently but I don't think that's what you're getting at here ;)

[identity profile] freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 08:52 am (UTC)(link)
JENN-uh-veev.

GWIN-uh-veer.

[identity profile] th3-unicorn.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 09:48 am (UTC)(link)
Geneviève: the correct pronounciation in French is Je-ne-VEE-eh-v, where the first two syllables have a closed sound, like the vowel in the word 'search'.
It's absolutely not J-AWN-vee-ehv, nor J-AWN-vee-v

Guinevere: I could never figure it out :P

[identity profile] lneef.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 11:59 am (UTC)(link)
You're right about it being properly Je-ne-vee-ehv... (where the j is pronounced zh) but in speaking French, most would slur it to Jehn-vee-ehv or even Jawn-vee-ehv.

[identity profile] th3-unicorn.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 12:33 pm (UTC)(link)
they would slur it to a very quick j-n sound, but they could never sound it as Jawn as if they were reading -en- as a diphthong, because the 'e' and 'n' belong to different syllables. Although in the end, to our ear, it would sound almost like that sound.

[identity profile] th3-unicorn.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 12:36 pm (UTC)(link)
p.s. I'm saying this because I've heard people (my mom for one) emphasyzing the -en- (awn) sound in attempt to make it properly french :P I guess it's because it's a characteristic sound in their language :P
but I'm annoyed by my own pedantry, so I'll stop :P

[identity profile] lneef.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 12:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Although in the end, to our ear, it would sound almost like that sound.

Yes, that's what I was getting at.

[identity profile] anapology.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 09:50 am (UTC)(link)
I prefer Gen-uh-veeve to Gen-vee-ev

[identity profile] sailorneptune.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 11:56 am (UTC)(link)
I like that people are posting the French pronunciation of a French name ^_^
(I'm French-Canadian and have a 100% French name)

But yeah, it's Jeuhn-vee-ev. ...but it's hard to type out the beginning of the name.
Phonetics, anyone?

[identity profile] omfg----hxc.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Jen-ah-veev
Gwen-ah-veer.

[identity profile] tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I pronounce Genevieve as either Jen-a-veeve (American) or Jean-vee-ev [Jean like the French male name Jean] (French) depending on the circumstances. The American pr. tends to be my default since I know two girls named that who pronounce it that way, but I prefer the French way.

Guinevere I say Gwen-a-veere.

[identity profile] omgzits--tam.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Jhen-vee-ev.
I really can't type out the pronunciation of the first syllable, sorry.

And,
Gwen-ah-veer.

[identity profile] dustkitty.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Guinevere can be pronounced (and spelled) several ways. GWEN-ah-veer, GWIN-ah-veer, GWEN-ah-feer, or GWIN-ah-feer, usually. It's less often pronounced with a soft G, making it similar to Jennifer.

[identity profile] straight-outta.livejournal.com 2007-10-20 10:01 pm (UTC)(link)
(Jean, said as though you would for a French 'Jean,' like Zhawn)Jean-Vee-evv and gwen-ih-vayr

[identity profile] hotchpot.livejournal.com 2007-10-21 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
Genevieve: either JEN-a-veev or jon-vee-EV
Guinevere: GWEN-a-veer

[identity profile] soulsplinter8.livejournal.com 2007-10-21 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
I say Genevieve "GEN-ih-veev" (with a soft g, almost z-like).
I would say Guinevere either like "GWEN-ih-veer" or "GWYN-eh-veer".

[identity profile] turn-it-upp.livejournal.com 2007-10-21 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
i rather like the french pronciaion of genevieve: jon-vi-ev, however, i dont know what counry you are from, but in the united states it would seem silly and pompous to impose that everyone pronounciate it like that insead of the american pronouciaion: jin-eh-veev.

i love guinevere! gwen-eh-veer.

[identity profile] turn-it-upp.livejournal.com 2007-10-21 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
*country