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Help[Facts] Etienne/Etien?
I took French for three years, but I don't understand why Etienne is considered male. According to the setup of the French language, shouldn't Etienne be female and Etien be male?
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"'Chevrolet,' answered Ramona. 'I named her after my aunt's car.'
The class began to laugh, especially the boys. Ramona felt confused, standing there in front of twenty-eight boys and girls who were all laughing at her."
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"'Chevrolet,' answered Ramona. 'I named her after my aunt's car.'
The class began to laugh, especially the boys. Ramona felt confused, standing there in front of twenty-eight boys and girls who were all laughing at her."
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Replies
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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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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I've sometimes wondered the same as well, but I'm under the impression it's a very old name, which might maybe explain it. I guess there are always exceptions, like in Italian the general rule is that male names end in -o and female names in -a, however Nicola, Andrea and Luca are all boys' names.
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The (French-speaking) doctor who delivered my first 2 children was named Aldoria. As you say, there are always exceptions.
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Seems like it would be feminine rather than masculine with that ending, but there're exceptions to every rule, no?
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