samus12345, 1 year ago (edited 1 year ago)

Pronouncing the word based on how another language says it

French influence on English is rather unique in this regard. French was the language of the upper class, so an effort was made for English to sound more French when possible.

My favorite example of how this has carried into modern day is the expressions “cordial reception” and “hearty welcome.” They both effectively mean the same thing, but the first, which is latin-derived, sounds fancy, while the second, which is germanic-derived, sounds more informal.