Jane, Joey's right (as always) but the French don't punch the "-ruh" as if it were a second syllable. English speakers tend to either punch it or leave it off entirely, so we get two pronunciations of macabre: muh-cawb or muh-caw-bruh. (Likewise, Loov or Loo-vruh.)
I took more than a year of conversational French and never got the French "r" quite right. But it's a beautiful language on the page...
Yeah--easy on the second syllable and just when you are thinking about starting to roll the "r", stop. But don't NOT roll the "r". Start, and then swallow it.
Like...well--like something you swallow softly and quickly.
You think, what do you want?
You think, make a decision...
"Loo-ve is a very Americanized pronunciation. In French it sounds much more similar to oeuvre."
Not really. But I thank you for all your Edwin Drood calculations. I appreciate those.
To no one in particular, I would try to avoid the word "oeuvre" as much as possible. At least when speaking English. It sounds awfully pretentious. As for its pronunciation, the "oeu" does not sound as "oo." It's closer to the u in "curve," though not exactly that, either. I'd say avoid speaking or writing the world.
I don't need to. I know how it sounds in casual conversation in the typical accent, I've heard other people say it, in Paris, for a very long time. If you'll notice, the pronunciation of many American words is different depending on your region.
After Eight, since you seem to be the only one who knows anything and you've just banned the word, what word would you suggest we use in its place? Let's say, for example, we wished to correct a pompous blowhard who had just asserted that the only reason Into The Woods has any following is because it is by Steven Sondheim and if another composer had written it, it would be long forgotten by now. If (god forbid) I was in that situation I'd say "But Into the Woods is the most popular show in Sondheim's oeuvre! It's not the cart being pulled behind the horse of Sondheim's name, it is the "gateway drug" that brings thousands of new fans to his work."
So how would you correct that misguided cretin while avoiding that taboo word?
This reminds me of the cringing popular pronunciation of Göthe (or Goethe). There is no imaginary "r" after the "o". The German pronunciation of "ö" is like the "oo" in "look" or "book".
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Not that someone as crass as you deserves any elucidation--- are you capable of being elucidated, anyway?-- but, to show how generous I can be-- even to a lout --I would say "Into the Woods is the most popular show among Sondheim's works."
Oh. And here's a freebie. Try to avoid a lamentable phrase like "gateway drug."
