[–] 4 points 1 year ago*

Native French speaker. I like to learn new words both in French and English to extend my vocabulary.

I learned English mainly by playing video games. I remember playing Super Mario Bros. in English while still learning to read French.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Yes you're right, I bet the French "u" is strange for an anglophone!

    The sound I have the most trouble with in English is "th". When I try it it kind of defaults to a "d". In France they usually pronounce it like a "z" instead.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I'm told "écureuil" is an infamously hard word for non-natives. It's funny that one of the hardest words to pronounce in English in my opinion is "squirrel". At least for a beginner.

    To answer your question, I was thinking about words with nasal vowels, which are non-existent in English.

    "Enfant", "informatique", "un brin brun"

    My own first name has a nasal vowel and in my experience talking to native English speakers, it's seems like a challenge to them.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago* (15 children)

    My name is unpronounceable for most non-native French speakers. I tell them to not even try, as there are sounds in French that don't exist in English. Instead, I introduce myself by butchering my own name, or by using the English equivalent to my name.

    So, no, I don't think people should use an accent of the origin language of a name. You can try, and I'll even rate you on a scale of 10, but I don't expect you to not butcher my name anyway.

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