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Re: Noel
in reply to a message by Sugar
In France, the trema (dots) usually indicate that two vowels are pronounced separately. In Francophone countries, Christmas is spelled Noël and pronounced "NO-ehl" I am not sure whether one or two-syllable pronunciation is favored by French men.
It is possible that both Noël and Noëlle would call themselves "NO-ehl." There are several names in French that are spelled and pronounced the same, but used for either gender. Ex: Celeste, Dominique.
"Les yeux sont aveugles. Il faut chercher avec le coeur." -- Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This message was edited 10/29/2006, 8:42 AM

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The French pronunciation is noh-EHL. The stressed syllable is always the last one.Lumia
http://onomastica.mailcatala.com
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