Things you were shockingly old when you learned

Not vase surely?

I thought "vays" was more British and "vahz" was more American but that could be wrong. I hear both.

Vase is one I heard both ways growing up, although the ahhh version I heard as more a snooty Kennedyism as opposed to an attempt at a French pronunciation. Same people who would say take a bahhhth.

No-one in the UK would ever say vayz.

Yeah I’ve never heard that from a Brit

Ah, I probably had it backwards then. These things can go either way in Canada sometimes.

Someone once gave a coworker directions to pick up something at the porte-cochère. She didn't ask what that meant and tried to repeat it back to me to help figure it out. I had no clue either. We asked the security in the building, they had no clue. After it was figured out (and she got into trouble for not going to the right place) I got really mad at the requestor for using porte-cochère in the US. I mean, this isn't a common term, right???

Never heard of it.

Ha

I remember in a Seinfeld episode where George calls someone “pretentious” for saying papier-mâché, which is a v ridiculous and Georgesque position to take (why is papier “pretentious” and mâché normal? “Paper mâché” sounds silly, at least go full nodurr daym and call it paper mash if you’re gonna be “unpretentious”)

So it's not paper mâché then. Yeah, I knew that.

Don't mind. Just updating my bedroom suit with chester drawers.

So, more Frenchy in Britain:

Chaise longue
Nougat
Cafe
Notre Dame
Clique
Foyer
Vase
Garage

More Frenchy in America:

Fillet
Turbot
Valet
Pastel
Herb

The "US-style' garage and valet are actually heard more over here than their alternative. Croissant is a funny one because Americans stress it in the same way as the French, but the British follow the French in not pronouncing the t.

Café should be in the second list

Add coupé to the UK list.

And route.

Café should be in the second list

Oh yes, oops!

And garage!

I grew up in a fairly bilingual city and went to French immersion high school but I've never heard anyone pronounce "papier" in the French way when saying "papier-maché" in English.

So, unless you speak French as a first language, it could seem a little pretentious to say it that way. And "paper mash" is just not a thing that anyone says.

I've heard both. I would definitely say papier.

Heh well I have no use for “pretentious” ftmp, just marvelling at the quirks of usage that would randomly change papier to paper but leave mâché intact

I think more people over here say paper maché than they used to, but probably worth adding to a corrected and updated list:

So, more Frenchy in Britain:

Chaise longue
Nougat (plenty of people say it as 'nugget', but not the US way, I don't think)
Notre Dame
Clique
Route
Coupé
Foyer
Vase
Papier maché *

More Frenchy in America:

Fillet
Turbot
Café
Valet *
Garage *
Pastel
Herb

* means I hear the "American" pronunciation a lot too in the UK. With valet, it's even predominant.

Bee Gees confusing matters with this weird song from their 'lost years'...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhTEwAqqd74

Bee Gees confusing matters with this weird song from their 'lost years'...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhTEwAqqd74

... I thought you couldn't post the same thing twice anymore?

How is pastel pronounced in UK?

I’d put an asterisk on café too, quite a few brits (including me) say it the “American” way

(xp) Pastil

I'm not talking of caff vs CAfe, I'm talking about CAfe vs CaFE. Would you really stress the second syllable?

Pastel is also mainly about stress: in Britain we stress the first part.

Makes sense, I was imagining something wild like paysteel.

Now I'm doubting myself: where *do* the French put the stress on café?

Now I’m doubting myself and I’m genuinely not sure how I pronounce it after saying it aloud to myself a few times - I just said “ballad of the sad café” and it’s def the last syllable I’m stressing but the title invites that

Lol xp

I don't think French really has lexical stress in the same way that English does? I would raise pitch a bit on the second syllable of café but I would try not to pronounce either syllable more strongly. There are native French speakers here who could probably explain better than I could.

talking of uk cafés, i only recently realised that the coffee chain was called caffè nero and not café nero

(it will always be café nerd to me in my heart)

Ah, yeah – that sounds right. xpost

my indian coworker pronounces Café as “caff” and I kept wondering if that was a british thing or a unique indian take on british english. there are a half dozen words I regularly hear from india-born coworkers that make me ask for them to add context and it makes me more curious every time

they’re always willing to do the needful and offer an explanation, though

I don't think that one is Indian English but I could be wrong. Does your co-worker take their tiffin in the cafe?

It's a British thing.

Pastel is one yeah just the stress, Americans put the stress on EL

Wait, I would say "caf" as short for "cafeteria".

This girl I knew ordered a half caf

Sounded pretentious tbh and was a scene

ahhh maybe it’s caf for cafeteria, that lines up

What other words do UKers pronounce less Frenchly than USers?

Renaissance

(xp) No, it's caff for cafe,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHGJy2WXDUo

UKers say lingerie more Frenchy.

Americans say lieutenant more Frenchy (marginally)

UKers say lingerie more Frenchy.

And brassiere.

Well in BrE it’s “lefftenant” which is outrageous

Only if you're posh or actually in the army.

No-one ever called Lieutenant Pigeon Leftenant Pigeon.