Imagine this: you just walked out of a store with a one-of-a-kind Louis Vuitton bag, then you call your friend to tell her about it, and as you listen to the waiting tone you start to think: "I don't know how to say the name out of the bag without looking like an idiot. " Just relax! Whether you're trying to figure out the correct way to pronounce "Louis Vuitton" in English, say it in a fancy French accent, or even pronounce the brand name of the bag you just bought, all you need are some basic instructions (and some practices) to sound “tres chic” (very elegant).
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using English Pronunciation
Step 1. Say "Louie
"If you are looking for a basic English pronunciation of 'Louis Vuitton', the first word is very simple. All you need to do is say the English masculine name 'Louie' (as in Louis CK, Louis Armstrong, Louis XIV, etc. That's it! No additional work is required.
Fun fact: the Louis Vuitton brand is named after its creator, Louis Vuitton, a French craftsman and businessman who founded the company in the 1850s. This is why the first word in the company name can be pronounced as " Louie "which is the same name
Step 2. Say "Vit
"The second word," Vuitton "seems a bit intimidating, although it's not really that difficult to pronounce in English. The first syllable can be pronounced as" vit. "Ignore the U. In English, it's pretty much change.
If you prefer, you can also use a softer sound: “voot”
Step 3. Say "Tahn."
Next, to finish the word "Vuitton", make a "TAHN" sound for the second syllable. Put the accent of the word on this syllable. It is "vit-TAHN", not "VIT-Tahn".
In English, the accent on the second syllable of a bisyllable word is commonly used for verbs, not nouns. However, in this case, many native speakers do not find any difficulty in this situation, perhaps because this word has a foreign origin
Step 4. Put it all together
Now, you have everything you need to say "Louis Vuitton"! Make a few tries: "Loo-ee Vit-ahn." Remember that practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to start saying it out loud, even if there are people around you.
Step 5. Optionally, end the word with the French sound "Toh."
When some who like to sound refined or high class talk about the bag they just bought, they add a slight French accent to the end of the word "Louis Vuitton" in its typical English version. To do this, instead of ending the word with the "tahn" sound, try using the "Toh" sound. It is not quite how a French would say it, but for an English speaker, it is a good alternative compared to trying to understand complicated French vowels.
To earn extra points, try blowing some air out through your nose at the end of the word. If you do it correctly, it will sound a bit arrogant; which is the perfect complement to that "I just bought a new bag" feeling
Method 2 of 3: Using French Pronunciation
Step 1. Say "Lwee"
Saying "Louis Vuitton" with its true French pronunciation is a bit more complicated than saying it in English. First, let's work with the word "Louis". The pronunciation is similar to how it is in English, but not identical. In French, "Louis" is said very quickly (almost as a single syllable). The result is that the "Lou" sound at the beginning of the word becomes very short. For an English speaker, it is easier to approximate the pronunciation simply by shortening the word to "lwee".
Step 2. Say "Vwee."
Unlike English, the U in "Vuitton" is not silent in French. Give the W sound a slight ring. Don't "overdo it" with the W sound, try to press your lips until they are almost closed. In English, the W is almost never followed after a V, so this syllable may be a bit counterproductive, but be patient and you will get there in no time.
The "I" in Vuitton should have the same sound as the long vowel E in "squeeze." However, it should be very fast, so if it ends up sounding a bit like the "I" sound in the word "thin ", It is acceptable
Step 3. Say "Toh."
In French, the final "-on", with very few exceptions, has a silent "N". This means that you basically only need to make the sound of a normal "O" (as in "low" or "so"). However, to make it sound truly French, you will need to "nasalize" this vowel to pronounce it in part with your nose. Try not to close your lips like you would in English when making the "O" sound. Instead, keep your mouth slightly open and your tongue in the middle of your mouth.
Try this simple test to see if you are saying "toh" correctly: place your finger under your nose as if you were about to sneeze, then try saying the syllable. You should feel a tiny rush of air coming out of your nose. This and many other French words use nasal sounds as part of your normal pronunciation
Step 4. Put it all together
You're more than ready to say "Louis Vuitton" like a Frenchman. Follow all the rules mentioned above, coherently combine the syllables you have been practicing. Your pronunciation of "Louis Vuitton" should sound something like: "Lwee VwitOH". Practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to give it a try a few times before you start saying it in public!
If you are having difficulties, try listening to a Frenchman say the words. If you don't know any, just use your favorite search engine to run a quick search for "Louis Vuitton French Pronunciation". Hopefully, you will find some tutorial videos
Step 5. For perfect pronunciation, use the French sound "ou"
The instructions given above will allow you to say "Louis Vuitton", with an approximation to a real French accent, but not perfected. In French, the vowel combination "ou" can sometimes result in a sound that is not used in English. For your pronunciation of "Louis Vuitton" to be perfect, you will have to practice this vowel sound and use it in "Louis" instead of the English sound "oo", which you may have been using before.
To practice this new "ou" sound, start by saying the English "O" sound as it sounds in the words "glow" or "snow." Press your lips together, trying to look like you're drinking from an invisible straw or straw. Finally, without moving your mouth, start saying the English "E" sound, as in "free" or "glee." The sound it will emit must be a combination of "O" and "E", a strange sound for the English speaker's ears. This sound should be used to say "Louis!"
Method 3 of 3: Pronouncing the name of Louis Vuitton products
Step 1. Pronounce Damier "dah-myay."
Once you have mastered the brand name itself, try to learn on your own how some of the tongue twister-like names are pronounced on French products. For starters, try pronouncing "Damier." The first syllable is easy: "Dahm" rhymes with "bomb." The second is a bit more complicated: "Myay" rhymes with "play." Don't forget to pronounce the "I" in the word. It's "DahMYAY", not "DahMAY".
Keep in mind that, in French, the ending "-ier" almost always has a silent R
Step 2. Pronounce multicolore "mooltee-colohr"
To pronounce the name of this bag, you have to use long vowel sounds, for each of the vowels you find. The first syllable, "mool", rhymes with "pool". The next one, "tee", is pronounced what it sounds like. The third syllable, "col", sounds like "coal". Finally, the last syllable sounds like "lore", spoken with a soft R sound, which is achieved by pressing the back of the tongue against the top of the mouth.
Don't forget that, in French, there is usually an "ee" sound (not like the pronunciation of "eye"). Therefore, never say "mult-EYEcolor"
Step 3. Pronounce Tahitiennes "TAH-ee-tee-enneh"
The difficult thing about pronouncing "Tahitiennes" arises when we ignore the way it is written, which can cause problems for people who speak English. It is enough to pronounce the first three syllables, "tah", "ee" and "tee", as they are written. The last two are a bit more difficult, since they are pronounced "enn-uh", without an S sound, it is even thought that there is an S at the end of the word. Don't forget the final syllable "eh" or "uh". It should be in a soft, but audible tone.
Keep in mind that, in French, the H is very faint or silent. This word does not have a strong "hee" sound, as in English, "Tahitian"
Step 4. Pronounce popincourt "pope-in-cohre
"It may be tempting to say the word 'Poppin Court', instead of saying 'pope', followed by 'in', and finally 'cohre' (rhymes with 'bore'), but hold on! Use the same soft, subdued sound from R, previously used in "Damier", instead of a very pronounced R in English.
Don't say the T at the end of the word. Also in this case, the final consonant is silent
Step 5. Pronounce Batignolles "bat-een-yoleh
"In French, the consonant pair" gn "makes a" nyuh "sound, as in the N for" habañero ". With this in mind, say" Batignolles "with the pronunciation of the syllables" bat "," een "(rhymes with "mean"), "yol" (rhymes with "role"), and "eh". As with the word "Tahitiennes", the S at the end is silent, but the sound of the last syllable "eh" must still be be dim.