OK - How 'Bout Fran-key or Fren-chy

[JDyer]

While we continue to ponder car-BEAN vs BINE, and learn new math skills about bullets hitting rain drops, what I want to know is, how do you pronounce the Italian shotgun Franchi? Fran-key (I like) versus Fren-chy, like all my redneck friends call it. I suppose we could clear this up with a call to Beretta HQ. But, I'd like an opinion before I go to bed.

 

[mp510]

I pronounce it Fran-chee (like the cheese)

 

[Biker]

I'm with mp510.

Biker

 

[Eightball]

Called Benelli---its' Fran-key (long "A"). I still say "f-ranch-e"

 

[another okie]

In Italian the "a" is an "ah" sound, and "ch" is hard before "e" or "i". (It is soft before the other vowels.

In general the accent falls on the next to last syllable, as in Spanish. Since "Franchi" has only two syllables, the next to last syllable is the first one.

The quotation in my signature line begins:

"Alcuni principi, per tenere securamente lo stato, hanno disarmato e' loro sudditi... Ma, quanto tu li disarmi, tu cominci a offenderli, ; mostri che tu abbi in loro diffidenzia, o per vilta o per odio contro di te."

 

[Justin]

Frahnkey

 

[longeyes]

And FYOK-ee (Fiocchi).

 

[mete]

An Okie -italian ?? Franchi and Fiocchi like zucchini have the ch pronounced as a K since there is no K, or J[obsolete],or X, or Y, or W in the Italian alphabet !!! If you want a CHeese sound use CE or CI .

 

[Hoppy590]

iv heard it as Fraunk-ey like HONK-ey

 

[Chipperman]

Fron-key

 

[toivo]

Fron-key

That's the ticket. Any oldtimers remember the Italian singer from the '60s and '70s, Sergio Franchi? If Ed Sullivan said it that way, it must be right...

 

[justashooter]

"so tonight we are having a special Franch dinner, with Franch fries, Franch toast, Franch dressing, and that Franch drink, perroo."

 

[JohnBT]

Is that how an Italian pronounces the word French?

John

 

[mete]

It's francese. Again a long A [ not Fronkey] with accent on second syllable. fran-che'-ze

 

[another okie]

The "a" is not "long" in the most common meaning that word has in English.

A long "a" would be as in the word "name." If you will say the Italian words "la", "casa," or "acqua" you will see that sound is "ah" rather than "eh."
"La" is pronounced "lah,", not "lay."

If by "long" you mean it's not a clipped or cut off sound, that's correct, and "long" can also mean duration in vowel sounds.

In English this is confusing, because what we call the "long" vowel sounds (as in "mate,", "mute," "might" and so on) are called that because they used to be longer in duration as well as different in sound.

 

[mete]

I was trying to put that into proper words and I thought of "soft A "but I didn't know if they would understand that either ! I came across another one today, they said "brushetta" and I said NO it's pronounced just like it's spelled "bruschetta " sch=sk !!

 

[another okie]

Yes, to English speakers bruschetta should be a soft sound, but the "ch" is hard (k) before e and i and soft before the other vowels.

Italian is really a very rational language, written phonetically and with predictable grammar rules. English by comparison is a mess! We have rules and pronounciations from so many different languages that you really can't learn English by learning rules - you just have to memorize stuff.

What are some other Italian gunmaker names we can practice on?
Uberti
Benelli
Beretta

 

[lawson]

so, how should i pronounce Carcano Moschetto Truppe Speciali?

 

[mete]

Kar-kano' mo-sketto' trupp' e [soft e] spesh'- ali [i = hard e]

 

[another okie]

spesh - ee - ahl' - ee

 

[azflyman]

So back to the topic, what is the consensus on Franchi?

az

P. S. - I have one and have always pronounced it Frankie.