How do you pronounce Ushant (or Ouessant)?

[Halcyon Yachts]

Like this (minute 0.41)?

Pete

PS - I hope you like the video...

 

[GHA]

0.58.. Acarona,, where's that then?

 

[Bav34]

Me Ush'nT, them Wesson(t).

 

[Angele]

0.58.. Acarona,, where's that then?

Swedish boat builders, not far from Stokholm. His mistake was to turn right when he got to Cherbourg, thinking it was somewhere near La Coruna. But we know you have to turn left for Sweden.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Oooosant

 

[Poignard]

Oo ess on

 

[LePacha]

More like Oo-ess-an. But without pronouncing the "n" at the end...

 

[LePacha]

Actually, if you go on Google translate, select French, type Ouessant, you will have a speaker icon you can click and it will pronounce it fairly well.

 

[macd]

Confused? You should be:
the island of Ushant has been known since the beginning of time, under two different names, one Uxisama, employed by the Greek geographer Strabon, other Anxantos, used by the Latin naturalist Pline the Old one. These two names precede, on the one hand, Breton; Eussa, on the other hand French; Exsent, Usent, Uxent, in 13th century, Ayssant, Aissent, Oixant in 16th century. The Welsh call the island Ushant. The extremely complex etymology of Ushant makes one’s mind work in mysterious ways, for some, it would be the island of the Gallic god Heuz. Given the terrible reputation of this god, Ushant would mean "the island of twisted tongues".

(Sorry: I made the very last bit up.)

 

[alan_d]

Confused? You should be:
the island of Ushant has been known since the beginning of time, under two different names, one Uxisama, employed by the Greek geographer Strabon, other Anxantos, used by the Latin naturalist Pline the Old one. These two names precede, on the one hand, Breton; Eussa, on the other hand French; Exsent, Usent, Uxent, in 13th century, Ayssant, Aissent, Oixant in 16th century. The Welsh call the island Ushant. The extremely complex etymology of Ushant makes one’s mind work in mysterious ways, for some, it would be the island of the Gallic god Heuz. Given the terrible reputation of this god, Ushant would mean "the island of twisted tongues".

(Sorry: I made the very last bit up.)

Hmm. I don't know what you are quoting from but it seems to have been poorly translated - in English language texts the Greek geographer is usually called Strabo and the Latin naturalist Pliny the Elder, so it is possible that some of the other names have been similarly mangled.

 

[macd]

Hmm. I don't know what you are quoting from but it seems to have been poorly translated - in English language texts the Greek geographer is usually called Strabo and the Latin naturalist Pliny the Elder, so it is possible that some of the other names have been similarly mangled.

It's from French site, so might have some credibility for things French. I think you'll find that Pliny the Elder was never called by that name in his day.
http://www.breizh-poellrezh.eu/ledOuessant.html

 

[[70521]]

I pronounce it with a West Highland accent.

The window is still dirty!

 

[LittleSister]

As nippers we had to sing a shanty at primary school which included the line (the only one I can remember, as it happens) that went 'From Ushant to Scilly is thirty five leagues'. Being little cockney oiks who had no idea where either place was, we pronounced it with the 'Ush' bit rhyming with a cockney 'hush', and the '-ant' as a cockney 'ent', as in punishment, complete with glottal stop at the end. This seemed perfectly acceptable to our teacher, but then neither we nor she needed to navigate our way there or communicate with the inhabitants.

In the subsequent 50+ years, I've from time to time wondered what length a league actually was, and whether there really were 35 of them between those two places. This thread has prompted me to finally look into this. I'm pleased to report (for those that also didn't already know) that a league (in English maritime use) is 3 nautical miles, and there is indeed about 35 of them from Ushant to the Scillies (allowing a few extra miles for getting into and out of port).

 

[Fr J Hackett]

As nippers we had to sing a shanty at primary school which included the line (the only one I can remember, as it happens) that went 'From Ushant to Scilly is thirty five leagues'. Being little cockney oiks who had no idea where either place was, we pronounced it with the 'Ush' bit rhyming with a cockney 'hush', and the '-ant' as a cockney 'ent', as in punishment, complete with glottal stop at the end. This seemed perfectly acceptable to our teacher, but then neither we nor she needed to navigate our way there or communicate with the inhabitants.

In the subsequent 50+ years, I've from time to time wondered what length a league actually was, and whether there really were 35 of them between those two places. This thread has prompted me to finally look into this. I'm pleased to report (for those that also didn't already know) that a league (in English maritime use) is 3 nautical miles, and there is indeed about 35 of them from Ushant to the Scillies (allowing a few extra miles for getting into and out of port).

Spanish Ladies Farewell and Adieu

 

[alan_d]

I think you'll find that Pliny the Elder was never called by that name in his day.

Indeed, that is why I said "in English language texts". I suspect few people would immediately recognise Gaius Plinius Secundus.

 

[LittleSister]

Spanish Ladies Farewell and Adieu

So it was! After that prompt I can now remember quite a lot more of the other words. How do we fit so much of such stuff in our heads, let alone carry it round semi-intact for a lifetime?

 

[nigelmercier]

... How do we fit so much of such stuff in our heads, let alone carry it round semi-intact for a lifetime?

And yet have difficulty remembering what day it is.