Does one approach this issue as though everyone in the audience is
sophisticated enough to know the pronunciation rules of every language or does one
pronounce things the way they would be pronounced in the language that you are
speaking in?
Hi Devon:
My 2 cents:
This problem makes you tread carefully - I think there's a fine line between sounding knowledgeable and sounding like a pompous snob. And the pronounciation rules of every language are subject to local variance. Think about "New Orleans" vs "N'alins" and all the possibilities in between that you will get in your own country!
Then, even the so-called knowledgeable people say things differently - we've already gone over the many pronunciations of Binche on this list - I think I had eight or nine at last count, and it's a one-syllable word!
When I am speaking English I say the words as a speaker of English, except that I tend to use the French "pwan" rather than Point when I say French names - but in Canada most people have a few years of French schooling under their belt. If I am speaking to people who will I think may be confused by "pwan" I just say Point the English way. I rhyme Binche with pinch and let the chips fall where they may. I say Tonder with the "d". I have no trouble with you saying Rose Point and Pwan de Neige in the same sentence.
I think we in North America worry more about correct pronunciation than a lot of other people. Let's get over it! I think the most important thing is to communicate what I mean, and I speak with the goal of having the people I am talking to understand me.
Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada)
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