Is the D in Djibouti really silent? I allways pronounced at as an affricate, with a strong D! at the begining, not as a plain J. But I'm no native speaker...
I agree. The 'j' in English sounds like it start with a d, in Dutch we would write dj because we pronounce the 'j' like a 'y' in English. So if the pronounciation starts with a d-like sound, is it really silent? Or is the 'j' in Djibouti pronounced like a 'y'?
The "d" is silent. It acts as a pronunciation guide. In French the "j" is normally pronounced as "zh". But with a "d" in front it becomes more like the English "j" (such as in jump).
Tchad and République Tchèque are in the same boat. Chad and Cheque would be pronounced with an initial "sh". But the "t" indicates a pronunciation similar to English "ch" (such as church).
Actually, no, Paris is the "Ville-Lumière" because it was the best-lit city in France, and probably for periods of time in Europe or the world. It has nothing to do with Enlightenment. As a side-note: Enlightenment in French is called "les Lumières", plural, never "la Lumière", singular. Paris is the "Ville-Lumière", singular.
Of course, we Parisians like to think of ourselves as a beacon of civilisation bringing light to the world, and at times, we were, and sometimes, we still are - but that probably explains why the nicknname stuck more than where it comes from.
i mean, i wouldnt have called the d in djibouti silent... idk, it would sound the same without it but also not. maybe i just think of german, where the sound is dsch 🤷♂️
Uyyy seriously I missed 100% because I typed nZagreb. The previous one I got was Tallinn, but because none of you useless Jetpunkers can spell the QM cuts double letters at the end of words and correct spellers get punished for it *sigh* *thanks*
One could say it's silent in English, but not in French ...
It's dubious...
Tchad and République Tchèque are in the same boat. Chad and Cheque would be pronounced with an initial "sh". But the "t" indicates a pronunciation similar to English "ch" (such as church).
My Brasilia has a second name; it's N-I-E-M-E-Y-E-R!
I love to live there every day and if you ask me why I'll say....
'Cause Oscar Niemeyer has a way with B-R-A-S-I-L-I-A!