How would you pronounce Genevieve?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
How would you pronounce Genevieve?
8
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 12:05pm

How would you pronounce Genevieve?



  • zhe-ne-VYEV
  • jenna-VYEV


You will be able to change your vote.


iVillage Member
Registered: 08-01-2003
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 12:57pm

it IS pronounced JEN-ah-VEEVE

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 1:04pm
Actually, I believe the French pronunciation would be zhe-ne-VYEV. However, it seems that most people in the U.S. would pronounce it with a hard "G" sound. I wasn't sure if I should go with the French usage or not.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2003
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 1:15pm

I wouldn't pronounce it like either of those. I would say...

Jenna-veev (long ee sound).

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 1:28pm

Your phonetic spellings are confusing to me. Here in the US, it's "JEN-a-veev" and in France it is "zhahn-vee-EV" (zhahn like the French pronounce the male name Jean) and there is actually an accent in there, making it Geneviève. I would use the English pronunciation, myself.

HTH!
~Erin

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 1:30pm

Yeah, I wouldn't use either of those pronounciations either. I say it Jenna-veev. (It's a name I like a lot, btw. I'd consider using it as a middle name.)




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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 3:46pm
Thanks for the input. I do think ultimately that Jenna-veev would be the best pronunciation instead of the French pronunciation. I appreciate your input!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 3:46pm

I have never known an English-speaking Genevieve, so I'm inclined to think that the name is said zhan-vi-EV, since that's the only way I've known it to be pronounced.

I assume, of course, that you're not having a little French baby girl. For that reason, there is no other way to say the name than simply JEN-a-veev. That's how it's pronounced in English, no alternatives.

EDIT: Heh... we were typing responses at exactly the same time. Now that I see what you were typing while I was posting this, I agree with you completely :)




Edited 2/15/2006 3:58 pm ET by olivesparks
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 9:37pm
I would pronounce it Jenn-a-veev