Germaine in french pronouncation

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2006
Germaine in french pronouncation
3
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 4:59am

Hi

Anybody know the accurate pronouncation of Germaine in french? Please advse, thanks!

Is it "Ger" pronounc at "sher?

mabel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 7:06am

I only know of one Germaine, she is about 50 or so. She pronounces it Ger, like the beginning of German and Maine like the state. Her parents were French Canadian.

Pretty and different. Good luck!

Mary

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-29-2003
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 11:05am
I actually know this! A friend of mine has an aunt (in France) named Germaine. It is correctly pronounced "zher-men".
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 12:33pm

Yes, this is correct. The G is pronounced sort of like a cross between the "SH" sound, a Z and a J. Make a face like your going to say "SHHH!" but then make a sound more like "ZHHHH." There's still air passing through your lips, but you've actually vocalized a Z rather than just letting the air pass through to make an S sound. This is the way my French teacher explained it to us, and though it doesn't sound like it makes sense, once you try it, it seems to help.

But, the "aine" part is pronounced less like the "e" in men, and more like a cross between a long "A," the "AH" sound, and a short "E" sound...an it's a little bit nasal, but not in a bad way. And, because there's an E on the end, since this is a girl's name, the N is pronounced.

Hope this helps! Some baby name websites actually have a link to pronunciations, so that you can hear the correct way to say it. I can't think of one off the top of my head, but if you google it, one shouldn't be too hard to fine.