Re: Mon choux marche avec...

[hart@corona.math.vt.edu (Heath David)]

In article <960315180704_246984538@emout06.mail.aol.com> IEDSRI@aol.com writes:
>The second syllable would be the latter half of a poetic pronunciation of the
>word "marche" (as "marche-euh", so to speak) -- a stylistic nicety that Kate
>Bush made sporadic use of in "Un Baiser d'enfant" and "Ne t'enfuis pas". 
>

It's been eight or nine years since my last class in French Literature,
but as I recall, the poetic pronunciation of 'marche' only applies when
the following word begins with a consonant or an aspirate h.  For example,
the phrase 'marche vite' (walks quickly) would be pronounced 'mar=che vite'.
However, 'marche avec' (walks with), ought to be pronounced 'marche a-vec',
since 'avec' begins with a vowel.
 
I hate to be nitpicky about this (as if no one were EVER nitpicky on
r.m.g.  ;) ;) ;), but surely Kate is more careful with her French 
pronunciation than this.  
 
Perhaps the verb is in a different tense?  Maybe, "L'amour marchait 
avec un etranger" (Love was walking with a stranger)?  

Or, maybe I'm just off my rocker -- is there significant precedence
in French poetry for poronouncing the mute e in front of a vowel that 
I'm not aware of?  
 
Yours for more aKuraTe transKripTions. . .
Heath