marcicat: source: troublesometribble (owl)
marciratingsystem ([personal profile] marcicat) wrote2025-04-14 07:35 am

it's tousled all over again

I found another word I've been pronouncing wrong all these years: "marquess"

Okay, I always thought marquess had a hard 'q' sound, just like marquis and marquee, but NO! It does not! ::shakes fist at the English vs French divide:: APPARENTLY it's actually pronounced like the q in 'quest,' and ALSO the emphasis is on the first syllable.

(Much, MUCH more egregious to me is the fact that the noble lady who marries a marquess doesn't become a marquessa, but a marchioness. WHAT IS LANGUAGE.)

(Anyway, there's a neat little ramble about the marquess / marquis / marquee thing by squirrelbasket over on wordpress.)