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    voilà pronunciation -- wah-la?

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    voilà pronunciation -- wah-la?

    Comment
    I've heard this pronounced "wah-la" or (waa-la) in the USA (without a "v" sound).
    Even on TV! ;-)

    I always say "voi-là", with the "v" not "w". Like the French. I know this sounds silly, but in the USA, I frequently hear people say it with a "w" sound.

    Is this regional? US, UK, or otherwise? Dictionaries typically recommend a "vw" sound.

    Here's MW:
    Main Entry: voi·là
    Variant(s): or voi·la \vwä-ˈlä\
    Function: interjection
    Etymology: French, literally, see there
    Date: 1739
    —used to call attention, to express satisfaction or approval, or to suggest an appearance as if by magic

    Here's CALD:
    voila exclamation
    /ˌvwɑːˈlɑː/
    used when showing to other people something that you have just made or got and are pleased with
    Corn tortillas can be cut into strips, fried until golden, and sprinkled with salt - voila! tortilla chips.

    Here's B/W:
    Aus: WAHRIG Rechtschreibung
    voi|là [voala, frz.] sieh her!, sieh da!, hier ist …!
    Aus: BERTELSMANN Wörterbuch
    voi|là! [voala] sieh her!, sieh da!, hier ist … (zu sehen)! [frz., zu voir ”sehen“ und là ”(dort)hin“]

    But I guess B/W wouldn't count ... well since ... it's not the English pronunciation.

    OT: I'm surprised it isn't an official Leo entry (voilà) -- discussions not necessary about that translation. 1:1. ;-) It makes me wonder what other French words are a 1:1 translation between English/German, but there are likely dozens of threads on that topic.
    Authorwhunk28 Mar 10, 11:01
    Comment
    It's not a word frequently used, IMO, but when I do hear it, I usually hear pronounced correctly. However, I'm sure people pronounce it as best they can. Not everyone pronounces everything properly. Take prerogative, for instance: a lot of people say perogative.
    #1Author dude (253248) 28 Mar 10, 11:08
    Comment
    "prerogative" is an interesting comparison/analogy (shout out to Bobby B.).

    You made me think of "prolly" which is actually in Leo, believe it or not.
    (Perogative not so much.)

    Anyway, I'm still interested in the "v" vs. "w" issue for voilà. Non? ;-)
    #2Authorwhunk28 Mar 10, 11:38
    Comment
    yeah, i've heard it said with aan english w. wahlah. probably just because it's not an english word and vw is not a sound that normally begins a word, so people who have never seen it printed (or don't speak french) get rid of the v. but yes i thinks it's rather common to hear wahlah.
    #3Authorschwänzer (316066) 29 Mar 10, 05:04
    Comment
    I don't agree that saying "wah-lah" is common in the UK at least. I've never heard it. I think it's said relatively often (in contrast to others here) and each time it is "vwah-lah" (i.e. as it should be but with an English accent.)
    #4AuthorJ UK29 Mar 10, 08:42
    Comment
    Agree with #4.
    #5AuthorKinkyAfro (587241) 29 Mar 10, 11:34
    Comment
    Thanks much for more input. I'm interested in the varying experiences (in hearing this = voilà) and any regional differences.
    #6Authorwhunk29 Mar 10, 12:01
    Comment
    You do hear "wah-lah" in the U.S.. I don't think it's regional. It probably has more to do with whether the person is at all familiar with French. It's not a surprising pronunciation, since the combination "vw" does not occur word initially in English phonology. People commonly apply phonological rules from their language to other languages; that's the origin of accents and language interference.
    #7Author Amy-MiMi (236989) 29 Mar 10, 18:05
     
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