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What is the English pronunciation of pain au chocolat?

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2

How do brits and americans pronounce pain au chocolat?

pronunciation french

share|improve this question

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

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aris is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There is no English pronunciation that I know of. It's only a French word. So, it should be pronounced as per any French dictionary. (That answers the title of your question.) How English speakers actually do pronounce it depends on how well they speak French . . .
  
  – Jason Bassford
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Well for example the English pronuncation of croissant is to pronounce the T at the end. The English pronunciation of Paris, France etc. are all different than the French pronunciation. So I don't think that words of French origin in English are always or normally pronounced in the original manner. Even people with French surnames in the US have long anglicized the pronunciation of their names.
  
  – aris
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @aris I don't think there is one English pronunciation for croissant or pain aur chocolat - it depends on the person each time.
  
  – thosphor
  19 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

2

How do brits and americans pronounce pain au chocolat?

pronunciation french

share|improve this question

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

New contributor

aris is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There is no English pronunciation that I know of. It's only a French word. So, it should be pronounced as per any French dictionary. (That answers the title of your question.) How English speakers actually do pronounce it depends on how well they speak French . . .
  
  – Jason Bassford
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Well for example the English pronuncation of croissant is to pronounce the T at the end. The English pronunciation of Paris, France etc. are all different than the French pronunciation. So I don't think that words of French origin in English are always or normally pronounced in the original manner. Even people with French surnames in the US have long anglicized the pronunciation of their names.
  
  – aris
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @aris I don't think there is one English pronunciation for croissant or pain aur chocolat - it depends on the person each time.
  
  – thosphor
  19 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

How do brits and americans pronounce pain au chocolat?

pronunciation french

share|improve this question

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

New contributor

aris is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

New contributor

aris is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

New contributor

aris is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

New contributor

aris is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

asked 4 hours ago

arisaris

1112

2 Answers
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3

In the UK it depends on the speaker but I would say the most common way is pan oh sho-coh-la, with the stress on the la.

With foreign words I use the nearest English sound. I don't try to make foreign sounds when speaking English - I think it's pretentious.

In coffee shops, you sometimes hear pain au chocolat or pain aux raisins pronounced as if the last word is the corresponding English one - especially in one chain which spells the second one "pain au raisin". I think what's happening there is that the staff are mistaking it for the original English word, rather than recognising it as part of the borrowed name of the pastry. They will confirm your order by saying "a panno chocolate".

share|improve this answer

edited 22 mins ago

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  It's not 'pretentious' to pronounce foreign words correctly, and can be hard to avoid if you happen to speak the language.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This pronunciation is also my experience; many of those pronouncing "chocolat" (Fr) as "chocolate" (En) are not native speakers of English, while others haven't learnt any French or are trying to play down their education.
  
  – Chris H
  56 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @MichaelHarvey But the question is, what is the correct pronunciation of an English word that has been adopted from another language? People who insist on the foreign pronunciation seem to think we are switching to French every time we order a pain au chocolat in a UK coffee shop. I don't see it that way at all. We have adopted the word into English, and that means accommodating it within the English phonemic system. It can be hard to avoid switching phonemic systems when you speak both languages, I agree - but that doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do.
  
  – Minty
  50 mins ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  What we have adopted is, obviously pain au chocolat - I'm not saying the chocolate pronunciation is OK, but if you speak both languages you will know that even the sounds people take to be the same are not really the same. The Fr word living for example, which has obviously been borrowed from En, is not pronounced the same as in En - but if speaking Fr I would never switch to En just to pronounce that one word, on the grounds that it was originally En.
  
  – Minty
  43 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @MichaelHarvey Pronouncing loan words with phonemes that do not exist in English (such as the nasal [ɛ̃] found in French pain, the tones in Chinese kòutóu [kowtow], or the retroflex [ɖ] in Swedish smörgåsbord) will absolutely make many people think you pretentious. Approximating with the nearest available equivalent English phoneme is standard and in no way makes the pronunciation ‘incorrect’.
  
  – Janus Bahs Jacquet
  7 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

0

In Britain, I think it's normal to use (at least an approximation of) the French pronunciation.

To address your point about why many more people anglicise "croissant", I think there's a distinction between words adopted from other languages, which often get anglicised, and phrases, which tend not to. Since none of the words in "pain au chocolat" has passed into English individually, it's still a French phrase.

share|improve this answer

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946

add a comment | 

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3

In the UK it depends on the speaker but I would say the most common way is pan oh sho-coh-la, with the stress on the la.

With foreign words I use the nearest English sound. I don't try to make foreign sounds when speaking English - I think it's pretentious.

In coffee shops, you sometimes hear pain au chocolat or pain aux raisins pronounced as if the last word is the corresponding English one - especially in one chain which spells the second one "pain au raisin". I think what's happening there is that the staff are mistaking it for the original English word, rather than recognising it as part of the borrowed name of the pastry. They will confirm your order by saying "a panno chocolate".

share|improve this answer

edited 22 mins ago

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  It's not 'pretentious' to pronounce foreign words correctly, and can be hard to avoid if you happen to speak the language.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This pronunciation is also my experience; many of those pronouncing "chocolat" (Fr) as "chocolate" (En) are not native speakers of English, while others haven't learnt any French or are trying to play down their education.
  
  – Chris H
  56 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @MichaelHarvey But the question is, what is the correct pronunciation of an English word that has been adopted from another language? People who insist on the foreign pronunciation seem to think we are switching to French every time we order a pain au chocolat in a UK coffee shop. I don't see it that way at all. We have adopted the word into English, and that means accommodating it within the English phonemic system. It can be hard to avoid switching phonemic systems when you speak both languages, I agree - but that doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do.
  
  – Minty
  50 mins ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  What we have adopted is, obviously pain au chocolat - I'm not saying the chocolate pronunciation is OK, but if you speak both languages you will know that even the sounds people take to be the same are not really the same. The Fr word living for example, which has obviously been borrowed from En, is not pronounced the same as in En - but if speaking Fr I would never switch to En just to pronounce that one word, on the grounds that it was originally En.
  
  – Minty
  43 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @MichaelHarvey Pronouncing loan words with phonemes that do not exist in English (such as the nasal [ɛ̃] found in French pain, the tones in Chinese kòutóu [kowtow], or the retroflex [ɖ] in Swedish smörgåsbord) will absolutely make many people think you pretentious. Approximating with the nearest available equivalent English phoneme is standard and in no way makes the pronunciation ‘incorrect’.
  
  – Janus Bahs Jacquet
  7 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

3

In the UK it depends on the speaker but I would say the most common way is pan oh sho-coh-la, with the stress on the la.

With foreign words I use the nearest English sound. I don't try to make foreign sounds when speaking English - I think it's pretentious.

In coffee shops, you sometimes hear pain au chocolat or pain aux raisins pronounced as if the last word is the corresponding English one - especially in one chain which spells the second one "pain au raisin". I think what's happening there is that the staff are mistaking it for the original English word, rather than recognising it as part of the borrowed name of the pastry. They will confirm your order by saying "a panno chocolate".

share|improve this answer

edited 22 mins ago

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  It's not 'pretentious' to pronounce foreign words correctly, and can be hard to avoid if you happen to speak the language.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This pronunciation is also my experience; many of those pronouncing "chocolat" (Fr) as "chocolate" (En) are not native speakers of English, while others haven't learnt any French or are trying to play down their education.
  
  – Chris H
  56 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @MichaelHarvey But the question is, what is the correct pronunciation of an English word that has been adopted from another language? People who insist on the foreign pronunciation seem to think we are switching to French every time we order a pain au chocolat in a UK coffee shop. I don't see it that way at all. We have adopted the word into English, and that means accommodating it within the English phonemic system. It can be hard to avoid switching phonemic systems when you speak both languages, I agree - but that doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do.
  
  – Minty
  50 mins ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  What we have adopted is, obviously pain au chocolat - I'm not saying the chocolate pronunciation is OK, but if you speak both languages you will know that even the sounds people take to be the same are not really the same. The Fr word living for example, which has obviously been borrowed from En, is not pronounced the same as in En - but if speaking Fr I would never switch to En just to pronounce that one word, on the grounds that it was originally En.
  
  – Minty
  43 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @MichaelHarvey Pronouncing loan words with phonemes that do not exist in English (such as the nasal [ɛ̃] found in French pain, the tones in Chinese kòutóu [kowtow], or the retroflex [ɖ] in Swedish smörgåsbord) will absolutely make many people think you pretentious. Approximating with the nearest available equivalent English phoneme is standard and in no way makes the pronunciation ‘incorrect’.
  
  – Janus Bahs Jacquet
  7 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

In the UK it depends on the speaker but I would say the most common way is pan oh sho-coh-la, with the stress on the la.

With foreign words I use the nearest English sound. I don't try to make foreign sounds when speaking English - I think it's pretentious.

In coffee shops, you sometimes hear pain au chocolat or pain aux raisins pronounced as if the last word is the corresponding English one - especially in one chain which spells the second one "pain au raisin". I think what's happening there is that the staff are mistaking it for the original English word, rather than recognising it as part of the borrowed name of the pastry. They will confirm your order by saying "a panno chocolate".

share|improve this answer

edited 22 mins ago

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

share|improve this answer

edited 22 mins ago

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

answered 4 hours ago

MintyMinty

943

0

In Britain, I think it's normal to use (at least an approximation of) the French pronunciation.

To address your point about why many more people anglicise "croissant", I think there's a distinction between words adopted from other languages, which often get anglicised, and phrases, which tend not to. Since none of the words in "pain au chocolat" has passed into English individually, it's still a French phrase.

share|improve this answer

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946

add a comment | 

0

In Britain, I think it's normal to use (at least an approximation of) the French pronunciation.

To address your point about why many more people anglicise "croissant", I think there's a distinction between words adopted from other languages, which often get anglicised, and phrases, which tend not to. Since none of the words in "pain au chocolat" has passed into English individually, it's still a French phrase.

share|improve this answer

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946

add a comment | 

In Britain, I think it's normal to use (at least an approximation of) the French pronunciation.

To address your point about why many more people anglicise "croissant", I think there's a distinction between words adopted from other languages, which often get anglicised, and phrases, which tend not to. Since none of the words in "pain au chocolat" has passed into English individually, it's still a French phrase.

share|improve this answer

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946

share|improve this answer

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946

answered 11 mins ago

Especially LimeEspecially Lime

70946