Jerome Walsh wrote:
>
> In re: "Grosse Pointe" I'm not sure the "e" is all that gratuitous,
> Nancy. As I'm sure you know, une pointe is a tongue of land entering
> into the water; point, on the other hand, is a simple emphatic
> negative. The Francophone heritage of the city on the narrows (le d
> étroit -- my home town, as a matter of fact) explains why la grosse
> pointe is so named.
>
If I recall correctly, "Gratiot" in Detroit is pronounced Grashit, and
Livernois Avenue is Livernoise. It gets really weird in the Upper
Peninsula.
Carrol
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