9/05/2006

No Pickshurs Please

So, apparently, it is too much to ask someone who lives in Canada (official languages English and French) to not say The Loo-vra when answering a question about their favourite part of a trip to Paris.

19 comments:

Coaster Punchman said...

I wouldn't know how to pronounce it otherwise. Do people say "Loove?" I have a hard time also with "Lyon." Am I supposed to say "Lyons?" Then if we really want to get picky, how about "New OrLEENS?" Most of us figure we're supposed to say "New OR-lans" but I think the locals might prefer "Nawlins."

Complicated.

Cup said...

I like to say "Loo-vrah" ... just like I used to say "Bret Fav-rah" before There's Something About Mary. And we're about to get a big Louvre exhibit here in Atlanta, so you know the name's gonna be butchered with Southern flair for several months.

4 Non Blogs said...

Write "bourgeoisie" on a piece of paper.
Hand it to them.
Ask them what it says.
Tell me what happens.

chelene said...

Ask them to pronounce "Hermes". That should be good for a laugh or two!

justacoolcat said...

Tell them the cheese is for after dinner.

I also had a night of stories about France.

Jenna said...

Does anyone outside of snooty patooty Quebec actually speak that official French?

Dale said...

I'm only about 1/2 as complicated as I make myself sound CP, I just like giving people a hard time. Thank you for your assistance, I hadn't even thought of those examples. Loove is fine for anyone who can't do the subtle R.

I want your take on all the different ways people say it Beth. What's the exhibit, a bunch of berets and cigarette holders or ...?

hahaha, great suggestion Skincarver -- I'm thinking buujy is how you say it right?

Yikes, that's another excellent one Chelene, some might go awry trying that one!

If anyone knows cheese etiquette, it's you JaCC!

All I know is they're insane drivers in Quebec Giz. They've got their own way to rock.

Old Lady said...

I like to wear my Ives St. Laurent suit with my Givenchy cologne whilst traveling down DeRenne Avenue in order to visit the Bouchillon's in Cairo, Georgia. Maybe I will go down Bonaventure Road to the cemetary.

DeRenne (dawren) a local street here; Bonaventure (bahn na ven chur) another local road.
Bouchillon - (Boosh shy lawn) Local family (some French families from Haiti came to Savannah rather than going to Norlens) but the piece of resistance is Cairo, Georgia (pronounced Karo).

I wouldn't fret if I were you, it's not such a big fox paw this pronunciation thang.

Dale said...

You're making me miss my Hooked On Phonics program there O.L.! Thank you for setting us straight on the local flavour. I can practically taste the Givenchy.

Anonymous said...

Old Lady, Fox Paw indeed! I love that!

Anyhoodle, you know Dale, I did my part to keep Canadia united, I married one of those damn Quebeckers, a real Francophone, not one of those Anglo ones, and maybe you could do a post about how the Quebeckers (or as he likes to call them, the Queerpeckers) drop their 'haitches' and add ones where none exist.

You know that joke, What does the CH stand for from the Montreal Canadians logo? Center Hice.

Ello? Ow Har yu? Hyme fine.

A! A! (that's me laughing!:o) )

jin said...

My 2 pet peeves:
1. Scones
I'd say 2 out of every 5 customers say 'scon-says'. WTF? They think I'm selling wall decos?
2. Creme Brulee
They say creeeem. Not crem.

I did an ad on the radio a while back. The guy came in to record me advertising our shoppe. The line in question was:
We only use REAL BUTTER in our products.
He replayed the recording for me & asked me to do it again. I asked what was wrong.
He: 'You said buTTer.'
Me: 'That's correct, what's the problem?'
He: 'Around here they say buDDer.'
Me: 'But you spell the word with 2 T's, not 2 D's?'
He: 'Folks around here won't understand what you are saying. Let's do it again with you saying buDDer.'

I wanted to call him a fukkur.

Dale said...

Oh Tanya! I forgot about the Centre Hice! I love that! You made me laugh my 'ead off!

And Jin -- that cracked me up too, very very funny. Shouldn't you post a link to the ad somewhere so we can hear you say budder?

X. Dell said...

You'd think that some of them would say the Eiffel Tower, whether or not they split their infinitives when doing so:-)

Angie Pansey said...

My favourite part of a trip to Paris is the delicious "cwoissant". And by Paris, I really mean the Tim Horton's in Quebec City.

Mob said...

If I can be born and raised in Bumfuck Nowhere, Texas, and travel to France and at least try to bluff my way through the language, you seriously need to have the 'come to Jesus' talk with your fellow countrymen, and set them straight.

Dale said...

The Highfill Tower X. Dell? I guess they were going for the cultchural response.

Very funny Angela. I'm now going to adopt your spelling of cwoissant and go to Quebec just to get some coffee at Tim 'orton.

Now with even more Jesus, here little lambs, follow me.

Anonymous said...

loovra? Is that a fancy french device for scrubbing one's back in one of those crappy french tubs?

Jenna said...

Old Lady - Hey, I know those streets! I had a field day when I first came down here from where I was (practically Quebec) and learning all the pronunciations.

And you know it's not french unless some of your spit ends up on the person you're talking at.

Dale said...

I thought of that you know Holly. No, this time, you're absolutely wrong. But just this once.

Hahaha, very good Giz.