Leading up to my July Quetico trip I decided to hit YouTube to see what videos folks may have posted of past routes and my proposed route. There are so many inspiring videos out there now, some raw and some very well edited ones. Some folks are really going the extra mile carrying GoPros, multiple mounts and attendant batteries and accessories.

One of my favourites was by a father and son. It was a bit on the raw side with some hokey music but they documented their route and identified their location all along the way - something I'd prefer was included in all of these types of videos.

There was however one cringe-worthy aspect. It was their pronunciation of some of the French named lakes and rivers. Deux Rivieres was called "Ducks" River and Doré Lake was Dorry Lake. Deux is French for "two" and is pronounced "duh". Doré is the French word for "walleye" and is pronounced "dor-eh". Maligne River is pronunced "maleen" not "malign". I am not a linguist so please excuse my phonetic notations. I had to make them up.

I noticed even the locals in Atikokan pronounce Lac La Croix as "lack la croy". It's really pronounced kwah. Croix is French for Cross.

On a lighter note Boise is bwahz but I know they'd look at me funny in Idaho if I tried that one. The there's Illinois (ee-n-wah)...Brewers great Jim Lefebvre ("le-fave" although the game announcers pronounced it "le-fever")...Packers great Bret Favre ("fahv" - I'm not sure any English speaking person has settled on how to pronounce it).

:)

You say por-tage'; I say port'-age....

You say Voyager, I say Voyageur.

The Mouse River flows around North Dakota until it crosses the border to the north and then "mouse" gets translated (or half translated) into the french Souris River. I've never heard (but suspect some do) refer to their Atikokan made boats as "Soo-ree River Canoes". Rightish or wrongish, I say Souris that rhymes with morris.

Jaywalker: "The Mouse River flows around North Dakota until it crosses the border to the north and then "mouse" gets translated (or half translated) into the french Souris River. I've never heard (but suspect some do) refer to their Atikokan made boats as "Soo-ree River Canoes". Rightish or wrongish, I say Souris that rhymes with morris.


"

Indeed it is soo-ree. The company probably pronounces it the same way the locals pronounce the river. Could be either way. Not sure what it is.

Why did the French name Gitchigumi Lac Superior?

Argo: "

Jaywalker: "The Mouse River flows around North Dakota until it crosses the border to the north and then "mouse" gets translated (or half translated) into the french Souris River. I've never heard (but suspect some do) refer to their Atikokan made boats as "Soo-ree River Canoes". Rightish or wrongish, I say Souris that rhymes with morris.
"

Indeed it is soo-ree. The company probably pronounces it the same way the locals pronounce the river. Could be either way. Not sure what it is.


Why did the French name Gitchigumi Lac Superior?"

Probably because Gitchigumi was too hard to pronounce. But probably more importantly they didn't want to pay royalties to Gordon Lightfoot! :)

Oh golly...wait until you hear how they pronounce Versailles in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Brrr - sal -iSus?

Argo: "

Jaywalker: "The Mouse River flows around North Dakota until it crosses the border to the north and then "mouse" gets translated (or half translated) into the french Souris River. I've never heard (but suspect some do) refer to their Atikokan made boats as "Soo-ree River Canoes". Rightish or wrongish, I say Souris that rhymes with morris. "

Indeed it is soo-ree. The company probably pronounces it the same way the locals pronounce the river. Could be either way. Not sure what it is.

Why did the French name Gitchigumi Lac Superior?"

Really? The locals say “soo-ree”? Not saying I’m right (or that there is a right), but I noticed Joe at Red Rocks says it the same as me, and he is one of their biggest users. Kevin Callin says it pretty close to the same, with a definite S at the end. I did notice none of the Souris River Canoe videos ever actually say their name! I’ve never been corrected including when ordered and bought it from the shop in Thunder Bay, but perhaps they were just being polite? I’m curious to know how others say it.

Argo: "
I noticed even the locals in Atikokan pronounce Lac La Croix as "lack la croy". It's really pronounced kwah. Croix is French for Cross."

Likewise, I've always heard and pronounced the river that runs passed Stillwater, MN and Hudson, WI as the saint croy river. Never hear anyone call it the san kwah river.

okinaw55: "

Argo: "

Jaywalker: "The Mouse River flows around North Dakota until it crosses the border to the north and then "mouse" gets translated (or half translated) into the french Souris River. I've never heard (but suspect some do) refer to their Atikokan made boats as "Soo-ree River Canoes". Rightish or wrongish, I say Souris that rhymes with morris.
"

Indeed it is soo-ree. The company probably pronounces it the same way the locals pronounce the river. Could be either way. Not sure what it is.



Why did the French name Gitchigumi Lac Superior?"

Probably because Gitchigumi was too hard to pronounce. But probably more importantly they didn't want to pay royalties to Gordon Lightfoot! :)"

Superior translates to "Upper".

The French language is so je ne sais quoi.

inspector13: "
The French language is so je ne sais quoi.


"

Steve, what means "so gee nee says quoy (like the goldfish?) Never had French so I'm about French -100, definitely not French 101.

I used to own one of those mousy canoes until I sold it to cowdoc. Any Twin Cities folks out there that live on that street downtown?

Fun post and I learned some things. TKS.

My favorite lake name to hear mispronounced is Saganagons... lots of chopped syllables and misplaced accents.

bobbernumber3: "My favorite lake name to hear mispronounced is Saganagons... lots of chopped syllables and misplaced accents."

Or Saganaga... SAG-a-NAG-a... or SAGA-nah-GA? Or just Sag? :)

PuffinGin: "

inspector13: "
The French language is so je ne sais quoi.
"

Steve, what means "so gee nee says quoy (like the goldfish?) Never had French so I'm about French -100, definitely not French 101.

I used to own one of those mousy canoes until I sold it to cowdoc. Any Twin Cities folks out there that live on that street downtown?

Fun post and I learned some things. TKS.
"

Hi Ginny, I have a weird sense of humor. “Je ne sais quoi” is a saying that means “Hard to describe“, but translated into English is “I don’t know what”. I think I heard Julia Child say it.

inspector13: "

PuffinGin: "

inspector13: "
The French language is so je ne sais quoi.
"

Steve, what means "so gee nee says quoy (like the goldfish?) Never had French so I'm about French -100, definitely not French 101.


I used to own one of those mousy canoes until I sold it to cowdoc. Any Twin Cities folks out there that live on that street downtown?


Fun post and I learned some things. TKS.
"

Hi Ginny, I have a weird sense of humor. “Je ne sais quoi” is a saying that means “Hard to describe“, but translated into English is “I don’t know what”. I think I heard Julia Child say it.


"

My personal translation is "special sauce" :)


I see a distinction between mis-pronouncing Saganaga, which has not been translated into English, -vs- something like Saint Croix, which has been translated from French (Riviere de Sainte-Croix) and "Americanized." I feel a responsibility to pronounce Saganaga correctly. I feel no such responsibility toward the Saint Croix River.

thegildedgopher: "

inspector13: "

PuffinGin: "

inspector13: "
The French language is so je ne sais quoi.
"

Steve, what means "so gee nee says quoy (like the goldfish?) Never had French so I'm about French -100, definitely not French 101.



I used to own one of those mousy canoes until I sold it to cowdoc. Any Twin Cities folks out there that live on that street downtown?



Fun post and I learned some things. TKS.
"

Hi Ginny, I have a weird sense of humor. “Je ne sais quoi” is a saying that means “Hard to describe“, but translated into English is “I don’t know what”. I think I heard Julia Child say it.



"

My personal translation is "special sauce" :)



I see a distinction between mis-pronouncing Saganaga, which has not been translated into English, -vs- something like Saint Croix, which has been translated from French (Riviere de Sainte-Croix) and "Americanized." I feel a responsibility to pronounce Saganaga correctly. I feel no such responsibility toward the Saint Croix River."

I agree. Place names evolve from their original pronunciations based on a variety of factors. Versailles (vair-sigh) can be ver-sales because everyone knows it as such. Montreal (mo-ray-al) is called muntry-all outside of French Canada. Detroit (de-tw'ah)?

But Deux is not ducks. It doesn't quack like it. :)

This might be helpful.

fadersup: " This might be helpful. "

That is a classic.

Another back at you...

So have any of yawl figured out how to pronounce Ge-Be-On-e-quet? I can't even figure out how to capitalize it.

Argo: "I agree. Place names evolve from their original pronunciations based on a variety of factors..."

Another one for Twin Cities peeps is Lake Gervais in Little Canada (MN). I grew up there. We always pronounced it as "jarvis". There was (is) a family there by the name of Gervais and it was pronounced as "jarvis" by them and even by the proudly french descent priest at the time. Imagine my surprise and confusion when a local (imported) newscaster pronounce it as "gervay" (g as in good) one nite reporting an incident on a "local" lake.

jhb8426: "

Argo: "I agree. Place names evolve from their original pronunciations based on a variety of factors..."

Another one for Twin Cities peeps is Lake Gervais in Little Canada (MN). I grew up there. We always pronounced it as "jarvis". There was (is) a family there by the name of Gervais and it was pronounced as "jarvis" by them and even by the proudly french descent priest at the time. Imagine my surprise and confusion when a local (imported) newscaster pronounce it as "gervay" (g as in good) one nite reporting an incident on a "local" lake."

It would be ger-vay where the g is soft. The same sound as in Sza Sza Gabor. So it would sound something like sza'air-vay.

"The North Star State"
This popular Minnesota state nickname is derived from the Minnesota state motto "L'Etoile Du Nord" (The Star of the North).

"L'Etoile Du Nord" is roughly pronounced "Le twa Du Nor" Not sure how accurate that is, a friend who studied in France told me that years ago.
It is printed across the MN state flag.

MN, flag "Star of the North" in English

LindenTree: ""The North Star State"
This popular Minnesota state nickname is derived from the Minnesota state motto "L'Etoile Du Nord" (The Star of the North).


"L'Etoile Du Nord" is roughly pronounced "Le twa Du Nor" Not sure how accurate that is, a friend who studied in France told me that years ago.
It is printed across the MN state flag.


MN, flag "Star of the North" in English "

Le-twa to a Francophone would sound more like "The Three of the North".

Lay-twal would be closer.