Define Bijou

[silksilk]

So there are alot of people pronouncing bijou their own way, so i just wanted to double check if its really this way that I am about to list or is there another meaning or pronunciation to this word


Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /biˈʒuː/, SAMPA: /bi"Zu:/
bijou (plural bijous)

1. jewel
2. a piece of jewelry, a trinket

[Enlightened09]

so its like, bee-zoo?

[silksilk]

yeap from the audio thing on wikitionary.

[pikachu2423]

I thought you said it like Be-jow.. =o

[faeona]

Bee-zhoo :3

that's what it sounds like to me here on Webster: Bijou (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bijou).

[Twenty-Nine_Rooks]

The short answer is this: It does not matter how you pronounce it. You say TO-ma-to, I say ta-MA-to. You say Bee-jhuu, I say BEE-jow, whatever.

The long answer is this:
Language is an ever-changing system that cannot be wholly controlled, either by manipulation nor the brute forces of Habit and Tradition. However, the French themselves have made laws as to how to pronounce and define words in their language. Literally they have turned their own dictionary into law, and refuse to allow new words from other languages enter. So, for example, there is no "official" word for "Hacker," because of the foreign influence of the word. So, the "proper" way to pronounce it is "Bee-jhuu."

However, need I say that this goes a bit too far? As a linguist, I despise the french language. Sure, it sounds pretty, but it is pretentious and superficial language. It is like the Brittany Spears of languages, best to stay away if you don't want to catch its disease.

In western Europe we are seeing the revival of many of the more intelligent languages like Hebrew, Latin, and Gaeilege. While I would argue French is a dying language, the victim of its own brutal rigidity. Well, good riddance.

After the great revival of the English language in the 1400's, England and the rest of the world began to become fascinated by the language. And even after the French influence on English led to the great vowel-shift sometime in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, brilliant writers like Shakespeare realized that English was an amalgamation of the best parts of many different languages like Germanic, Gaeillege, Norse, and Pure Latin.

English is the intellectual opponent of French, it is happy to receive influence and vocabulary form other languages and to make those words its own. Bijou is one of those words. This process is called "Anglosization." And Bijou has become an Anlgosized word.

After the reformation of the Church of England, the crown and court decided to distance themselves from the supposedly papist influence of the French language. At this time, there began a conscious effort to obscure the French influence on the language, and many pronouciations of French words were debased. Oddly, we adopted an alternative vowel scheme much like the (equally papist) Italians, and used this scheme is translations of the Latin languages, while the aspirative was changed from the French vowel-based structure to the more Germanic structure of punctuations and eventually the letter "H."

So, this causes Bijou, when Anglosized, to be pronounced: "BEE-Jow."

[silksilk]

As a linguist, I despise the french language.

I don't know about that statement and your theory(Or Maybe you might have read it somewhere from someone) of how it came about to the state its in now. The reason I say this, because its like saying I am a Swimming teacher but i hate swimming. =P


=P but the proper way of maybe describing what probably happened its the actual pronunciation of the letter J in french is bit like Zeeish?



P.S isnt Anglo-Sized a play on Anglicized which is probably the proper term you were looking for?

[zues8844]

Rooks, you're killing me with your text walls T_T!

[CrystalEyes]

The short answer is this: It does not matter how you pronounce it. You say TO-ma-to, I say ta-MA-to. You say Bee-jhuu, I say BEE-jow, whatever.

The long answer is this:
Language is an ever-changing system that cannot be wholly controlled, either by manipulation nor the brute forces of Habit and Tradition. However, the French themselves have made laws as to how to pronounce and define words in their language. Literally they have turned their own dictionary into law, and refuse to allow new words from other languages enter. So, for example, there is no "official" word for "Hacker," because of the foreign influence of the word. So, the "proper" way to pronounce it is "Bee-jhuu."

However, need I say that this goes a bit too far? As a linguist, I despise the french language. Sure, it sounds pretty, but it is pretentious and superficial language. It is like the Brittany Spears of languages, best to stay away if you don't want to catch its disease.

In western Europe we are seeing the revival of many of the more intelligent languages like Hebrew, Latin, and Gaeilege. While I would argue French is a dying language, the victim of its own brutal rigidity. Well, good riddance.

After the great revival of the English language in the 1400's, England and the rest of the world began to become fascinated by the language. And even after the French influence on English led to the great vowel-shift sometime in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, brilliant writers like Shakespeare realized that English was an amalgamation of the best parts of many different languages like Germanic, Gaeillege, Norse, and Pure Latin.

English is the intellectual opponent of French, it is happy to receive influence and vocabulary form other languages and to make those words its own. Bijou is one of those words. This process is called "Anglosization." And Bijou has become an Anlgosized word.

After the reformation of the Church of England, the crown and court decided to distance themselves from the supposedly papist influence of the French language. At this time, there began a conscious effort to obscure the French influence on the language, and many pronouciations of French words were debased. Oddly, we adopted an alternative vowel scheme much like the (equally papist) Italians, and used this scheme is translations of the Latin languages, while the aspirative was changed from the French vowel-based structure to the more Germanic structure of punctuations and eventually the letter "H."

So, this causes Bijou, when Anglosized, to be pronounced: "BEE-Jow."


...

O.O


leave it to rooks to be the expert :rolleyes:

[Agile61]

I thought it was bee-jew?

[Griever101]

Rooks, you're killing me with your text walls T_T!
I know ay


Bee-zhoo :3
Thats how i say it

[dethsgirl]

I love Rook's long answers, lol.

[Griever101]

When i read dem i tont have to go 2 skoolz, jk

But i skim read most ofem

[Twenty-Nine_Rooks]

I don't know about that statement and your theory(Or Maybe you might have read it somewhere from someone) of how it came about to the state its in now. The reason I say this, because its like saying I am a Swimming teacher but i hate swimming. =P
=P but the proper way of maybe describing what probably happened its the actual pronunciation of the letter J in french is bit like Zeeish?
P.S isnt Anglo-Sized a play on Anglicized which is probably the proper term you were looking for?

Ok
1. No, I am still an undergrad at Reed College, but I specialize in the area.

2. There are 2 ways to pronounce the "J" in French: the regular and the aspirative. Because of the following vowels, this "J" is aspirated. In English, we aspirate consonants with the letter "H": "CH, SH, TH, WH," etc, but the JH is only used when translating foreign words to english, though it does a little like a "Z", but you can really pronounce it how you want, which is my whole point.

3. Anglosized, is a play. Anglocized, is French in its origin, so I pun it with the Germanic consonant structure.


Rooks, you're killing me with your text walls T_T!

LOL sorry, that is why I said the simple answer first.


leave it to rooks to be the expert :rolleyes:

Well, as I said, I am studying this period in college, my professor has her Doctorate in Medieval Literature, and is an expert in French influence on the English language.

[alicina]

It's a soft 'j' sound. As if it were french.

[blackguy729]

i was going to my mons house and i saw the bijou bar. it was funny

[Bonthra]

<.< blackguy729, in which state did you find that Bijou Bar?

I say Bee-jew. I'm typically tolerant of the various pronunciations of our server except for one person on Vent who keeps calling it Bah-jewel. I. Don't. Get it. x.X

[Ciocolajs]

bee juice .-.

[Griever101]

OMFG Thats gross, google "Bijou" and look at the first wiki page ._.

[Twenty-Nine_Rooks]

bee juice .-.

Beetlejuice Beetlejiuce Beetlejiuce.

[CrystalEyes]

Well, as I said, I am studying this period in college, my professor has her Doctorate in Medieval Literature, and is an expert in French influence on the English language.

Sorry, I wasn't being sarcastic xD you just seem to be the expert on... well, everything =P Don't think I've ever seen an "idiotic" post from you, in a sense, so I was merely complimenting your "know-it-all" kind of knowledge. (Not that you have that kind of attitude that goes with it at all!)


... I ish just callin' j00 wiked smaht

:3

>.>

[blackguy729]

<.< blackguy729, in which state did you find that Bijou Bar?

in new jersey.

[Bonthra]

in new jersey.

Must be a chain, then.

[moonzkie]

:eek::eek::eek:
bijou- bee-juu
elderine- elde-reen
uruga- you-ruga or oo-ruga :confused::confused::confused:

LOL!!! this thread is funneh..
:p:p:p

[DancingSimmer]

lol I pronounce 'em like this...

Bye-jooh
El-dur-rine
Rooh-men
Yer-rooh-gah
Ap-oh-line
Teh-vah
Ep-ith

and for the sake of things, my character names...

Mi-ph-ist-oh
Ah-key-ahn-doh
Hi-run-doh
Lin-die-no

[sirviney]

There's a Bijou furniture place in New Jersey...

[wiikkyd]

I thought you said it like Be-jow.. =o
its Bee-Joow :D >:D


The short answer is this: It does not matter how you pronounce it. You say TO-ma-to, I say ta-MA-to. You say Bee-jhuu, I say BEE-jow, whatever.

The long answer is this:
Language is an ever-changing system that cannot be wholly controlled, either by manipulation nor the brute forces of Habit and Tradition. However, the French themselves have made laws as to how to pronounce and define words in their language. Literally they have turned their own dictionary into law, and refuse to allow new words from other languages enter. So, for example, there is no "official" word for "Hacker," because of the foreign influence of the word. So, the "proper" way to pronounce it is "Bee-jhuu."

However, need I say that this goes a bit too far? As a linguist, I despise the french language. Sure, it sounds pretty, but it is pretentious and superficial language. It is like the Brittany Spears of languages, best to stay away if you don't want to catch its disease.

In western Europe we are seeing the revival of many of the more intelligent languages like Hebrew, Latin, and Gaeilege. While I would argue French is a dying language, the victim of its own brutal rigidity. Well, good riddance.

After the great revival of the English language in the 1400's, England and the rest of the world began to become fascinated by the language. And even after the French influence on English led to the great vowel-shift sometime in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, brilliant writers like Shakespeare realized that English was an amalgamation of the best parts of many different languages like Germanic, Gaeillege, Norse, and Pure Latin.

English is the intellectual opponent of French, it is happy to receive influence and vocabulary form other languages and to make those words its own. Bijou is one of those words. This process is called "Anglosization." And Bijou has become an Anlgosized word.

After the reformation of the Church of England, the crown and court decided to distance themselves from the supposedly papist influence of the French language. At this time, there began a conscious effort to obscure the French influence on the language, and many pronouciations of French words were debased. Oddly, we adopted an alternative vowel scheme much like the (equally papist) Italians, and used this scheme is translations of the Latin languages, while the aspirative was changed from the French vowel-based structure to the more Germanic structure of punctuations and eventually the letter "H."

So, this causes Bijou, when Anglosized, to be pronounced: "BEE-Jow."

Rooks.. you always make my head hurt/implode .____.
I just read the first sentence and your last sentence 'cuz I know I'm going to get lost when i read the middle part of your responses...

.______. So many big words.. *-* *brain implodes*