Lingerie

[No19]

There's an active conversation at the moment about the Minogue sisters with a link to an Agent Provocateur advertisement by Kylie - in which she says, twice, lahn-jher-ay.

I pronounce this lan-jhree and intend to keep doing so.

Am I a pedant or a fool?

I think I am more of a lahn jer ee

So a mix of both of ya

No idea what is right.

I prefer lin ger ee m'self

Well I can't say I say it very often myself, would be more comfortable with underwear!

"DP, have I any dry lingerie on the line?"

I would agree, however Kylie has had a french hunk of a man hanging around her and her lingerie for some time...

Second thoughts...maybe that's why he finished it...she just couldn't pronounce it properly

when i first started where i work i was puzzled about the 'laundry' department people kept refering too. realised quick they meant 'lingerie.' i say lahn-ger-ay. but at work i do say more like lorn-jree. they already think i'm a bit posh or something so i just go with it. customers seem to say lorn-jree too.

Oh yeah I completely forgot about Olivier. And they MUST have discussed it.

Surely I cannot be wrong? I will never be able to come to this corner again.

lawn jer ay

Lon - jhray.

The more i=m repeating it i tink i am an ay

I would say LON-jer-ay

Well it's a French word so the first syllable would be more like your prononciation No19. (But in French the n sound is only hinted at)

Oh and the last syllable is close to 'ee'.

Otherside I am giving it French pron. but I suppose wondering does that make me sound like people who are off to Venezia for the weekend, or who get their car valayed. But am sure Kylie is not right.

I'm sure Kylie's wrong, and it's 'ee' on the end, not 'ay' - if it had an e with an acute accent, it would be the 'ay' sound, but it hasn't.

oh god, I get the car valayed

should I be getting it valetted?

I understand the confusion over the 'larn' or 'lonj' but why on earth do people say 'ay' for 'ie'?

I can't help you then. I haven't heard the word pronounced in the UK or other English speaking country for a while.

I know I was taught val-ett, never val-ay, also valetted, valetry. But that may be my uberpicky and old-fashioned family.

On the lingerie front I am disappointed! I thought there was bound to be someone who would come striding over and say confidently THIS is how it is pronounced, without a doubt.

I know how it is pronounced, without a doubt..

It's lan-jhery.

(jh) being a soft j.

The other options are people trying to be Frenchified without knowledge of the language, I think.