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