English names in a French book

[kehlen]

Dear community,

I've started reading Jules Verne's Ile mystérieuse (all time favourite) in French (at long last)... and the first problem I encountered is how to pronounce the characters' names

Comments

[sollersuk]

Stress? If you're reading it in French, same rule as for French names, and pronounce them as if they were in French (i.e. drop all "h"s, no "th" sound and no short "i"s) - no specific stress, depends on the position of the word in the phrase etc. In France I got very accustomed to pronouncing my name French style*, and was always impressed by the fact that nobody ever mis-spelled my surname even though that often happened in English and I would have expected the silent "s" at the end to catch people out.

At the time the French were having major problems with our Prime Ministers. After Oueelsonne and Eet, Tatcherre came as a great relief.

*I was used to this anyway as I had been to the French school in London. I have a three-syllable first name, and the stress could be on the first syllable, on the third syllable, or not on any syllable at all.

[kehlen]

The first time the French called me ElenA with the stress on the last syllable, I did not know they were talking to me. And then I started to like this variant. :)

Thank you!