How to pronounce "Arles"?

[f***@gmail.com]

I am trying to confirm how the word "Arles", as in the town van Gogh
lived in briefly, should be pronounced. Is it a single thing, like
"arlz"? Is it ever pronounced like "ar-lez"? I will be using a word
that rhymes with "Arles" (in English), and I want to get it
approximately right. What English word(s) would you say it
should/could
rhyme with?

Thanks in advance!

-f

[John of Aix]

Post by f***@gmail.com
I am trying to confirm how the word "Arles", as in the town van Gogh
lived in briefly, should be pronounced. Is it a single thing, like
"arlz"? Is it ever pronounced like "ar-lez"? I will be using a word
that rhymes with "Arles" (in English), and I want to get it
approximately right. What English word(s) would you say it
should/could
rhyme with?
Thanks in advance!

This is a hard one I'm afraid. I've lived in Provence for more than 30
years (in Arles for a while too) and speak good French, though still
with an accent, but have a job with Arles. I Used to say 'Ahl' but that
is no good and people couldn't even work it out for themselves. The 'r'
definitely needs to be pronounced but only slightly and it isn't easy to
slip in in froint of the 'l' I find. But that is the way it should be
'ah-r-l'. You can even say 'ah-r-l-eh' which is how it sounds with a
Provençal accent.

It rhymes with snarl or carl therefore but with the 'r' pronounced.

[John of Aix]

Post by f***@gmail.com
I am trying to confirm how the word "Arles", as in the town van Gogh
lived in briefly, should be pronounced. Is it a single thing, like
"arlz"? Is it ever pronounced like "ar-lez"? I will be using a word
that rhymes with "Arles" (in English), and I want to get it
approximately right. What English word(s) would you say it
should/could
rhyme with?

By the way, though Vincent van Gigh lived in Arles and then in St Rémy a
little to the north of Arles for just a few years, that is where he did
most of his work and much of his best. It is a beautiful and friendly
little town full of historical interest and tradition. If ever you have
the chance to visit, do.

[f***@gmail.com]

Thanks, John. I asked this question in the first place because of a
song I am writing about van Gogh, and I wanted to make sure the rhyme
was approximately correct - my initial rhyme was not, as it turns out.

[John of Aix]

Post by f***@gmail.com
Thanks, John. I asked this question in the first place because of a
song I am writing about van Gogh, and I wanted to make sure the rhyme
was approximately correct - my initial rhyme was not, as it turns out.

Well if it for a song the rhyme with 'Carl' should do for an English
speaking audience. In the USA I believe they pronounce Vincent's surname
as 'Van Go', in Britian we say 'Van Goff' but I believe in the original
Dutch it is much more like 'fan hock'

[Jean-Louis Liagre]

Post by John of Aix

Post by f***@gmail.com
Thanks, John. I asked this question in the first place because of a
song I am writing about van Gogh, and I wanted to make sure the rhyme
was approximately correct - my initial rhyme was not, as it turns out.

Well if it for a song the rhyme with 'Carl' should do for an English
speaking audience. In the USA I believe they pronounce Vincent's surname
as 'Van Go', in Britian we say 'Van Goff' but I believe in the original
Dutch it is much more like 'fan hock'

And the French pronounce his name Van Gog, with Van ending with a nasal 'a',
while the French speaking Belgians usually say "Fann Gog".

[d***@lycos.com]

Post by John of Aix

Post by f***@gmail.com
Thanks, John. I asked this question in the first place because of a
song I am writing about van Gogh, and I wanted to make sure the rhyme
was approximately correct - my initial rhyme was not, as it turns out.

Well if it for a song the rhyme with 'Carl' should do for an English
speaking audience. In the USA I believe they pronounce Vincent's surname
as 'Van Go', in Britian we say 'Van Goff' but I believe in the original
Dutch it is much more like 'fan hock'

If you check the link I'm posting you'll hear a short soundsample
pronouncing several Dutch names, the second one is Van Gogh. the
Flemings pronounce it more or less the same but with a softer less
gutteral G.

http://homepage.mac.com/schuffelen/dupron/Bomberghen.MP3

[John of Aix]

Post by d***@lycos.com

Post by John of Aix

Post by f***@gmail.com
Thanks, John. I asked this question in the first place because of a
song I am writing about van Gogh, and I wanted to make sure the
rhyme was approximately correct - my initial rhyme was not, as it
turns out.

Well if it for a song the rhyme with 'Carl' should do for an English
speaking audience. In the USA I believe they pronounce Vincent's
surname as 'Van Go', in Britian we say 'Van Goff' but I believe in
the original Dutch it is much more like 'fan hock'

If you check the link I'm posting you'll hear a short soundsample
pronouncing several Dutch names, the second one is Van Gogh. the
Flemings pronounce it more or less the same but with a softer less
gutteral G.
http://homepage.mac.com/schuffelen/dupron/Bomberghen.MP3

Thanks. I'll attempt the pronunciation, it'll make me look very urbane
at posh parties ;-)

[Mark]

X-No-Archive: yes

Post by John of Aix
By the way, though Vincent van Gigh lived in Arles and then in St Rémy a
little to the north of Arles for just a few years, that is where he did
most of his work and much of his best. It is a beautiful and friendly
little town full of historical interest and tradition. If ever you have
the chance to visit, do.

Yes. What is the town around there with the smallish museum [on the
place, as I recall] that has some fine original works by these artists and
more?
I remember there being an music/art festival there over a three day weekend
some years ago..


Mark

[John of Aix]

Post by Mark
X-No-Archive: yes

Post by John of Aix
By the way, though Vincent van Gigh lived in Arles and then in St
Rémy a little to the north of Arles for just a few years, that is
where he did most of his work and much of his best. It is a
beautiful and friendly little town full of historical interest and
tradition. If ever you have the chance to visit, do.

Yes. What is the town around there with the smallish museum [on the
place, as I recall] that has some fine original works by these
artists and more?
I remember there being an music/art festival there over a three day
weekend some years ago..

Well actually there is very little work by either Van Gogh, in Arles/St
Rémy or Cézanne, in Aix. They were not prophets in their 'own' country,
though are now of course and a good source of tourist revenue. The state
has rectified this situation with a few permanent loans of water colours
and drawings to the local museums but major works only appear during big
exhibitions such as they had in Arles for the centenary of Van Gogh's
death in 1888 and will have in Aix en Provence this year for that of
Paul Cézanne, a local boy.

The whole of Provence is festivals here in summmer, almost every village
has something or other but the bigger ones, Avignon (theatre), Aix
(music and singing) and Orange (opera) last longer than three days,
several weeks in fact, so it is hard ot say which you attended and why
there were works of art on display. Can you remember the year or other
things?