May 14, 2013: Actress and jury member Nicole Kidman arrives for cocktails at the Martinez Hotel at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. (AP)
CANNES, France – The 66th International Cannes Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday, and while the question on everyone’s mind at the French resort town as the festival starts is whether The Coen Brothers or Steven Soderbergh will win their second Palme D’Or, the question in other parts of the world is:
How in the world do you pronounce Cannes?
In conversations in the weeks leading up to the festival, the name of the picturesque city on the Mediterranean Sea has been pronounced by many as “con,” like in “con job," by some as “can” as in “can of beer," and by a few as “cans” as in “cans of paint.”
So which is it?
Well it’s not “con.” The owner of Riviera Taxi, born in Nice, France, pronounced “niece," just down the pike from Cannes, explains to FOX411 that the actual word pronounced “con” in France is a derogatory term about women.
So don’t use that one.
“Cans” is closer, but no cigar. An “s” is rarely pronounced in French when its the last letter in a word.
Which leaves … “can!"
Almost.
FOX411 did an unscientific poll on its Twitter account asking how followers pronounced the word. FOX411 Twitter follower Brad O. tweeted:
"In reality the correct pronunciation is with a K and not a C. It sounds more like Ken rather than Can."
Which is exactly how everyone in France says it – a hybrid of "Ken" and "can."
So you can say one or the other.
Just don’t say “con.”
Trending
