In
France, the trema (dots) usually indicate that two vowels are pronounced separately. In Francophone countries,
Christmas is spelled Noël and pronounced "NO-ehl" I am not sure whether one or two-syllable pronunciation is favored by French men.
It is possible that both Noël and Noëlle would call themselves "NO-ehl." There are several names in French that are spelled and pronounced the same, but used for either gender. Ex:
Celeste,
Dominique.
"
Les yeux sont aveugles. Il faut chercher avec le coeur." --
Le Petit Prince,
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This message was edited 10/29/2006, 8:42 AM