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Help[Facts] Mariëtte
This is my mother's name.We are having a bit of a debate about the origin of her name.She is proud of having a French name, but I think that the French would not use the umlaut on the e (as in ë) on this name.Although they do use it on the name Gaëlle.
So, could Mariëtte still be French? How would the French pronounce it? Or would it not make any difference with or without the umlaut? Over here we pronounce the name as ma-ree-ET.(We are in South Africa, and are Afrikaans-speaking.Afrikaans is very similar to German or Dutch.)
So, could Mariëtte still be French? How would the French pronounce it? Or would it not make any difference with or without the umlaut? Over here we pronounce the name as ma-ree-ET.(We are in South Africa, and are Afrikaans-speaking.Afrikaans is very similar to German or Dutch.)
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Mariette is a French name (although rare), pronounced just the way that you do. I guess the two dots (not an umlaut, although it looks identical, because an umlaut changes the sound as I guess you probably know) are to make sure that Afrikaans speakers don't pronounce it "Mareet"? The two dots aren't used in French for Mariette, but I don't think it makes your Mariëtte any less a French name, if that's the best way to get the correct pronunciation. I guess it's French with an Afrikaans twist! :-)
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Thank you
Thank you for all the info! :)
Thank you for all the info! :)
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The diaeresis or trema in French is used over the E only in the groups AE (Gaël) and OE (Moët), to indicate that the two vowels are not a diphtong and to differenciate these groups from the doble letters Æ and Œ. But in the group IE, there is never a trema over the E.
So, Mariëtte is not French (in French, it would be a misspelling), the only correct French form is Mariette (pronounced [mari'et]).
So, Mariëtte is not French (in French, it would be a misspelling), the only correct French form is Mariette (pronounced [mari'et]).
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I'm not French nor have an extensive knowledge of it, but I think Mariëtte is a French name. They do use umlauts/trémas/whatever you want to call them on some names, like Gaëlle as you've mentioned, as well as Gwenaëlle and a few more, but I think in your mother's name's case not having the umlaut doesn't make a difference, since -ette is, to my knowledge, always pronounced as ETT. Likewise, I'm pretty sure they pronounce it the same way you do, mah-ree-ETT, with a guttural r.
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