How does one pronounce de Broglie ?

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The correct pronunciation of "de Broglie" is definitively "de Broy," as confirmed by multiple contributors in the discussion. Variations such as "bro-glee" and "bro-lee" were mentioned but deemed incorrect. The pronunciation can vary based on cultural and linguistic backgrounds, with influences from both French and Italian. Ultimately, the consensus suggests a de-emphasis on the last syllable, aligning with the phonetic representation found in sources like Wikipedia.

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rock.freak667
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Well I asked three people and they all gave me three different answers...

One say to pronounce it the Broglie as how you would say "broil"

other one said to say Broglie as "bro-glee"

last one said...Broglie as "bro-lee"
 
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You got three wrong answers :P

It would be pronounced "de Broy"
 
Bloody French.
 
It's pronounced:
"Tay-stee-corn-dogs"
 
Manzuoni said:
You got three wrong answers :P

It would be pronounced "de Broy"

This is correct.
 
My Pchem prof always said de BROY EEEEEE
 
Isnt it, "Brough-yay"
 
I think it's more like "de broccoli." :biggrin:
 
gravenewworld said:
My Pchem prof always said de BROY EEEEEE
You don't have to tack on so many EEEEs, but that's a reasonable pronunciation, with a de-emphasis on the last syllable and a slight upward pitch in that syllable.
 
  • #10
Well i'll be. This whole time I've been pronouncing it "de-bro-gul" thinking the 'i' was silent. I never had a nack for French anyway... except for those French words that would come out whenever I stub my toe or drop something.
 
  • #11
Merdre!
 
  • #12
turbo-1 said:
You don't have to tack on so many EEEEs, but that's a reasonable pronunciation, with a de-emphasis on the last syllable and a slight upward pitch in that syllable.

Ha, I was just trying to emphasize the long E sound, not how long you say the long E sound.
 
  • #13
People can pronounce their name any way they want to.

I'm French and I wouldn't pronounce it "de broy".

According to wikipedia, which I guess is where people are getting the pronunciation from
The family name, on account of its Italian origin, has an unusual pronunciation: /brœj/ (as French breuil, close to "broy").

So depending on if he used an Italian, French or combination of pronunciations, they would drastically change the way it's pronounced. It seems no one knows how he pronounced it, people are just guessing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duc_de_Broglie

No one can pronounce my ex-husband's last name. His family "Americanized" the pronunciation to make it easier, but it's not correct.
 
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  • #14
Part of my motivation was from a Feynman lecture, and he was probably more well-informed (by ear) than my reading of the French interpretation of the name. Feynman kept his harsh NY accent all through his life, but he had a keen ear for accents.
 
  • #15
turbo-1 said:
You don't have to tack on so many EEEEs, but that's a reasonable pronunciation, with a de-emphasis on the last syllable and a slight upward pitch in that syllable.
That's probably most accurate turbo.
 
  • #16
Moonbear said:
I think it's more like "de broccoli." :biggrin:

Evo said:
People can pronounce their name any way they want to.

I'm French and I wouldn't pronounce it "de broy".

According to wikipedia, which I guess is where people are getting the pronunciation from

So depending on if he used an Italian, French or combination of pronunciations, they would drastically change the way it's pronounced. It seems no one knows how he pronounced it, people are just guessing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duc_de_Broglie

No one can pronounce my ex-husband's last name. His family "Americanized" the pronunciation to make it easier, but it's not correct.

One branch of my family had a complete split because of the pronunciation problem: half wanted their name spelled correctly and half wanted their name pronounced correctly. Same immediate family where one brother spells his name Yepsen and a sister spells her name Jepsen.

Considering that Buffalo, New York gets its name for the French words "beautiful river", if de Broglie came to America, he would have had to change his name to de Broccoli, as Moonbear suggested. (In fact, a different branch of my family had their name go from Boussard to Buzard, which evolved in pronunciation to Buzzard).

Has anyone else ever seen that old black and white movie, "Molly Be Damned"? The one where none of the children were allowed to pronounce the city's name correctly and had to call it "Molly Be Darned" instead?
 
  • #17
As Evo indicated, the usual prononciation is given wikipedia. However in the north-east of France, say Strasbourg, the pronounciation is different for instance.
turbo-1 said:
Merdre!
This is one of the few universally accepted pronounciation words, and should be spelled "Merde !" :-p :smile:
 
  • #18
I always prounounced it "dee-BRO-lee-ay". That's how my first physics professor prounounced it, so I guess it was imprinted on me.

I'm going to keep doing it, just to annoy any native French speakers in the class.
 
  • #19
Tom Mattson said:
I'm going to keep doing it, just to annoy any native French speakers in the class.
:smile:
I had a teacher who would pronounce any foreign name in awful, ridiculous french version. I always thought he was doing it on purpose.
 
  • #20
humanino said:
This is one of the few universally accepted pronounciation words, and should be spelled "Merde !" :-p :smile:

As in what our (now former) prime minister once said to a bunch of striking truck drivers: "Mangez de la merde!"
 
  • #21
Tom Mattson said:
I always prounounced it "dee-BRO-lee-ay". That's how my first physics professor prounounced it, so I guess it was imprinted on me.

I like mine "dee-BAR-bee-kwu"
 
  • #22
It's even possible to pronounce 'de' wrong. It's not dee but more like 'duh'.
 
  • #23
And the "uh" part of "de" can be awfully short, depending on the dialect. My relatives of French-Canadian descent would toss in the "d" and roll right into Broglie without pause.
 
  • #24
http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/8/1/8/5/12675818.jpg
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/11/28/what-are-tvs-100-greatest-quotes-and-catchphrases/
 
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  • #25
My mother's side of the family was Dionne, and nobody had any trouble with that name, in part due to a famous litter of babies. Her aunt married a Paradis, and here in Maine that was no trouble. People here know how to pronounce French names pretty well. The problem came when they moved to Hartford and people pronounced the "S" and sometimes even made the "I" a long "I'. My great-uncle changed their family name to Parady, so the CT Yankees could at least say his name correctly. He was starting up an automotive-repair/towing business and he needed for people to be able to pronounce his name. Others in his family were deeply offended by the change.
 
  • #26
I always heard it as "de breuille", but because we're close buddies, I can call him Louis :smile:

There's the Louis wavelength, etc...
 
  • #27
vanesch said:
I always heard it as "de breuille", but because we're close buddies, I can call him Louis :smile:

There's the Louis wavelength, etc...
:smile:
He always wants me to call him "mOnsieur le Duc" :frown:
 
  • #28
rewebster said:
http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/8/1/8/5/12675818.jpg
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/11/28/what-are-tvs-100-greatest-quotes-and-catchphrases/

I'm amazed there's not "trust me, I know what I'm doing" in the list...
(one or other police comedy, don't remember).
 
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  • #29
vanesch said:
I'm amazed there's not "trust me, I know what I'm doing" in the list...
(one or other police comedy, don't remember).

it was down on the 'comments' list:

Grape | 11/28/2006, 11:05 pm EST

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

-Sledge Hammer
 
  • #30
Tom Mattson said:
I always prounounced it "dee-BRO-lee-ay". That's how my first physics professor prounounced it, so I guess it was imprinted on me.

I'm going to keep doing it, just to annoy any native French speakers in the class.

I got "imprinted on" by a professor, too (now, now...don't go there). He was from...Texas, maybe? Very odd accent. He pronounced "kinetic" with emphasis on the first syllable, and the first "i" as a "long i" : KY-net-ic. I still hear him in my mind: KY-net-ic energy.

As for De Broglie, I always heard it de-BROY.
 

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