How do you pronounce Lourdes?

[BrooklynBoy200]

I know this is silly and i don't know if it belongs here or not.
But how do you pronounce Lourdes?
Is it like "lords" or "loo-er-des" or what?

[StratusRose]

I say it like "Lords".

[SMHW]

Originally Posted by BrooklynBoy200

I know this is silly and i don't know if it belongs here or not.
But how do you pronounce Lourdes?
Is it like "lords" or "loo-er-des" or what?

I vote for the second option... But the vowel sounds should run together as a diphthong, not as two distinct syllables.

Diphthong: a gliding monosyllabic speech sound (as the vowel combination at the end of toy) that starts at or near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves to or toward the position of another

[OldAgeGuru]

My friend's name is Lourdes. She pronounces it this way

Lure (like a fishig lure) Des (like desk without the k). She hates her name and goes by her middle name Anne.

[DaveBj]

The final -s, like almost all final consonants in French, is silent, unless the word is followed by a word starting with a vowel (the infamous "liaison")

Lourdes is pronounced "Loord"

DaveBj

[Shoshana]

I am french and I am reading all of your posts...and I am trying with my lips to try and explain the sound! But the last 2 posts sound good to me...

[vluvski]

In English, Lords.
In French, Loo-ahrd where the R is almost non-existent. R in French is very different from English, pronounce more at the back of your throat with the base of your tongue than on the roof of your mouth with the middle of your tongue like in English.

[Shoshana]

Originally Posted by vluvski

In English, Lords.
In French, Loo-ahrd where the R is almost non-existent. R in French is very different from English, pronounce more at the back of your throat with the base of your tongue than on the roof of your mouth with the middle of your tongue like in English.

Where I come from, the r is very much pronounced. Our rs are guttural...no different than listening to the Jews speaking their own language...

[starling]

It's French. Definitely pronounced "Loorde". The final "s" is silent.

[BrooklynBoy200]

Do you pronounce the e as "eh" or is that silent too?

[Shoshana]

Originally Posted by BrooklynBoy200

Do you pronounce the e as "eh" or is that silent too?

It would silent...just like you woudl say Lord...the emphasis is on the d...

But there are many of us who do say eh in other contexts, just for the heck of it though...

[Tonks40]

Growing up in a Filipino-American Catholic family, I've always heard it pronounced "Lor-dez" by my mother.

My dad, who does a very good job speaking with an "American" accent, pronounced it "Lourds".

I guess it would depend on what part of the world you're from!

[Shoshana]

Originally Posted by Tonks40

Growing up in a Filipino-American Catholic family, I've always heard it pronounced "Lor-dez" by my mother.

My dad, who does a very good job speaking with an "American" accent, pronounced it "Lourds".

I guess it would depend on what part of the world you're from!

This is true...when I was in France, the Parisian laughed at us Canadians as to how we say char for car...and I laughed because the Parisians say car with the emphasis on the r for car...go figure!!!

[Dale_M]

The Merriam-Webster dictionary has it pronounced as 'lurd or 'lurdz. You can listen to it here.

[Chovy]

I'm just enjoying all of these different pronunciations and found myself saying each one out loud until I realized what I was doing and burst into giggles. Thanks for being my afternoon entertainment.