Prince of pronunciation
Language Log 2023-11-03
Many people have the (mis)perception that the French (mis)pronounce all languages with a heavy accent. It turns out that the gold standard for correct pronunciation of borrowed words is a French gentilhomme /ʒɑ̃.ti.jɔm/.
How to Pronounce the Trickiest English Words: Ask This Frenchman
Millions of Americans, the curious and the insecure, consult Julien Miquel for help with words such as Worcestershire, macabre, and Siobhan
By Joe Pinsker WSJ, Oct. 30, 2023
Read / listen to this article. You're in for une gâterie.
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The next time you’re googling how to correctly pronounce potable, cache, macabre or gnocchi, or gauging whether the U is silent in gauge, you can be assured of two things. You’re not the only one wary of butchering words. And waiting near the top of your search results will be Julien Miquel.
Miquel, age 43, makes short YouTube videos that sound out English words, much like many other online instructors. But his work in the genre is distinguished by a curious feature: his conspicuously French accent.
Mon Dieu! That’s right—America’s go-to expert for English pronunciation is a Frenchman.
Miquel—pronounced mee-kell, per one of his videos—is a former winemaker who works from his studio outside the historic medieval center of Argelès-sur-Mer (ar-zhuh-less sir mair [VHM: IJBOL] Miquel recommends for an English speaker), a seaside town in southern France.
He is also now one of the most-watched makers of pronunciation videos in the world, according to YouTube. His videos have gotten 50 million views so far this year in the U.S. Rightly or wrongly, people judge each other by their pronunciation, and Miquel has tapped into a widespread desire to avoid sounding like a fool or a philistine.
The article has video clips of Julien Miquel pronouncing:
his own name
Worcestershire
schadenfreude
the name of Elon Musk's son X Æ A-12
croissant (both ways)
Miquel "has produced more than 40,000 of the brief, visually spare clips, including some 12,000 this year". Among the terms he has covered are:
- "Schadenfreudeful" (4/20/19)
- "'Tomato sauce' in Cantonese, with a trigger warning" (10/30/23) — for Worcestershire