By some estimates, words with French origins make up 29% of the english language. Does the average American care about this fun fact? Probably not. Do French learners care? Well, it’s easier to remember “sauce” is “sauce” than “pamplemousse” is “grapefruit,” so yes, they care.
The people who care the most are probably French speakers. English is hard for French people, and it only gets harder when they have to resist the urge to use a French prononciation on english words with French origins.
We already put French people to the test once, having them pronounce difficult english words. Now, we’ve got another challenge: going against instinct, can these French people say French words the way Americans do?
