Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| what_the_heck013 |
Is it Leh-Mis-urr-ahb?How do you pronounce it? I don't speak French. Is it Leh-Mis_urr-ahb? or Leh-Mis-urr-ahb-leh? I've heard people say it both ways. |
| MlleTholomy�s |
The site says it's "Lay-Miser-ahb", but I suppose if you add a slight 'l' to it, it's not horribly cringe-worthy. |
| dolbinau |
I stupidly pronounce it as LES-MISERABLES |
| Damask and Dark |
I suppose it depends on exactly how French you want your pronunciation to sound. I'm wondering if maybe the site guide was written more as sort of a guide for approximations for English speakers than anything else. Anyway, in French, the �r in Mis�rables would not sound like "urr," but more like the word "air," except the r would be uvular (coming more from the throat). Also, the l at the end is pronounced, but it's very light. The a in Mis�rables gets the most emphasis, and the last syllable just sort of sneaks out after it and almost isn't a syllable at all. Also, if you want to be really technical, the first s in Mis�rables should be dental (that is, pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the teeth). I'm just basing this off my judgement as a fifth-semester college French student, so a native/better speaker can feel free to correct me. Anyway, I did a quick Google search, and I think this is a pretty good audio sample of the technically correct French pronunciation: [url]http://www.forvo.com/word/les_mis�rables/[/url]
Of course, not many English speakers really say it like that; I know I don't when I'm mentioning it in casual conversation, anyway.  The pronunciation just gets Anglicized to various degrees, so either one of the options you mentioned would be acceptable, I think. People will know what you're talking about. Personally, I still add the hint of l at the end; I don't like leaving it out completely, but I don't like adding a huge "bluh" at the end either.  But technically neither of your suggestions is really wrong, because neither or them is really right (if that makes sense, lol).
Keep in mind that if all else fails, you can always say "Les Miz!"
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| lesmisloony |
http://www.lesmis.com/pages/about/les_miz_eh_rahb.htm |
| Brother Marvin Hinten, S. |
I dunno what the show's official site says, but I've taken French for a number of years. Each teacher has added the "luh." |
| Eli |
les Mis!!!
In London anyway. AKA 'The Glums' Pics from Lausanne http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106878&id=667957715&l=7eb247f5c9 |
| Orestes Fasting |
Honestly? Even in real French, how much of that last syllable gets pronounced will depend on the speaker. The clip Damask and Dark posted is a pretty standard pronunciation, but it's not unusual to hear people pronounce 'silent' syllables like that one. Mostly you hear it with people from the south of France, but I've also heard it in, like, the announcements on the Paris M�tro from time to time.
Either way it's kind of subtle. "Miz-eh-rahb," with no hint of an 'l,' is a little too clipped, but you don't want to be saying "Miz-eh-rah-bluhhh" either. You want just enough schwa to make the 'l' pronounceable. (Any native French speakers on the forum are obviously welcome to correct me if I'm wrong.) Really, though, this thread is like a bunch of French people discussing how to pronounce the 'r' in 'My Fair Lady.' Yes, there's a correct way to do it like a native speaker (or multiple ways due to regional variations), but it's kind of nit-picky. More an issue of "am I saying this with the right accent" than "am I outright mispronouncing this." |
| Eli |
k my friend who is in Lausanne told me he was in 'les mis' so I am guessing it depends on who they they are speaking to! |
| sin23 |
Used to mispronounce it when I was still in highschool. My english teachers said twas Ley-mis-ser-rahb. I dont know yea maybe it depends. |