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Help[Facts] Re: Etienne/Etien?
in reply to a message by LMS
As a French, I hope I will help you a little bit :
You're totally right: names with -ienne at the end are mostly feminine in French.
Etien doesn't exist at all in French as a first name. The fact is that if we write it this way, the "link" with the pronunciation of Stephen (or Stéphane in French) would disappear, as well as the etymology. As a French learner you may have learnt that -ien doesn't have the same pronunciation as -ienne.
What's more, names with Greek origins can require a specific spelling in French not to lose all the etymological meaning and the kind of Greek pronunciation. As English chose to write Stephen, we chose to write Etienne.
It's normal to name his son Etienne in France and I personally really like this name.
Sorry if my English isn't perfect !!
You're totally right: names with -ienne at the end are mostly feminine in French.
Etien doesn't exist at all in French as a first name. The fact is that if we write it this way, the "link" with the pronunciation of Stephen (or Stéphane in French) would disappear, as well as the etymology. As a French learner you may have learnt that -ien doesn't have the same pronunciation as -ienne.
What's more, names with Greek origins can require a specific spelling in French not to lose all the etymological meaning and the kind of Greek pronunciation. As English chose to write Stephen, we chose to write Etienne.
It's normal to name his son Etienne in France and I personally really like this name.
Sorry if my English isn't perfect !!
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Replies
That was helpful. I knew Etien wasn't a real name, but to an English person with a bit of French language background I just thought it looked off. However, knowing that it is done that way to keep some etymology intact is good to know. I was worried it just might have been a rule breaker or a random spelling. Thanks!
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