4 syllables: Beau, jo, lais Nou, veau. Stress on lais Nou.
boh-zhuh-lay-NOO-voh
/boʊ ʒə ˈleɪ ˈnuː voʊ/
Beaujolais Nouveau is pronounced boh-zhuh-lay-NOO-voh (/boʊ ʒə ˈleɪ ˈnuː voʊ/). It has four syllables (Beau-jo-lais Nou-veau), with the stress on "lais Nou". Beaujolais Nouveau is a French, lightly sparkling red wine released annually in November. The term combines a regional wine tradition (Beaujolais) with the French adjective nouveau, meaning new or recently produced. In common usage it denotes the festive, early-release wine culture surrounding the harvest and its celebrations, often accompanied by promotional pop culture and crowds. The phrase is typically used as a noun referring to the wine and its seasonal event.
nounBeaujolais Nouveau is a French, lightly sparkling red wine released annually in November. The term combines a regional wine tradition (Beaujolais) with the French adjective nouveau, meaning new or recently produced. In common usage it denotes the festive, early-release wine culture surrounding the harvest and its celebrations, often accompanied by promotional pop culture and crowds. The phrase is typically used as a noun referring to the wine and its seasonal event.
How to Pronounce Beaujolais Nouveau
"We ordered a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau to celebrate the release."
"The Beaujolais Nouveau festival drew visitors from around the world."
"She wore a beaded scarf while savoring Beaujolais Nouveau with friends."
Pronounce as Beaujolais: /ˈboʒəˌleɪ/ with a French nasal vowel quality; Nouveau: /nuˈvoʊ/ with the final English 'oh' diphthong. The typical stress pattern is BEA-u-LOIS NA-VOO, with primary stress on the second syllable of Beaujolais and on the second syllable of Nouveau. In IPA: US/UK: /ˈboʒəˌleɪ nuˈvoʊ/. Mouth: start with a light bilabial start for /b/, then a French /ʒ/ as in treasure, lips rounded; nasal vowel in /ə/ can be reduced in casual speech. For audio-aligned practice, listen to native French speakers for Beaujolais and to English speakers for Nouveau in media clips.
Common errors include stressing the wrong syllable in Beaujolais (often saying be- jaw- loys) and anglicizing Nouveau too strongly (pronouncing /nuːˈvoʊ/ with a hard ‘oo’). Correction: Beaujolais should keep the /ʒ/ sound and a light, French-like /ə/ before -lois; emphasize the second syllable with /leɪ/. For Nouveau, maintain /nuˈvoʊ/ with a clear yod-like initial /n/, and avoid flattening the vowel into /uː/. Practice the sequence Beau-jo-lais with the final -ois pronounced /wɑː/ or /lə/ depending on speaker; then Nu-vo with proper French mouth positioning for /voʊ/.
US English tends to anglicize the final -ais to /eɪ/ and keep Nouveau as /nuˈvoʊ/. UK English might preserve more of the French nasal cues in Beaujolais but still favor /nuˈvəʊ/ or /nuːˈvəʊ/. Australian often blends with non-rhotic tendencies and can simplify the final vowel; expect /ˈboʒəˌleɪ nuˈvoʊ/. The French-derived Beaujolais may retain /ʒ/ and nasal vowels more strongly by speakers with exposure to French, while non-French speakers generally stick to English approximations. IPA references help anchor the exact variants.
Two core difficulties: the French consonant cluster /ʒ/ in Beaujolais, which isn’t common in English, and the two-syllable Beaujolais with tricky nasal vowel timing; plus Nouveau’s final /voʊ/ has a tight vowel transition in rapid speech. Mouth placement matters: /ʒ/ requires a voiced post-alveolar fricative with the tongue tip behind the upper teeth, and the nasal /ə/ in Beaujolais is often reduced. In connected speech, the blend Beau-jo-lai-nouveau can blur the -lai- to /leɪ/ and the final /voʊ/ can shorten.
A distinctive feature is the Beaujolais first syllable’s /ʒ/ sound and the unstressed yet clearly audible second syllable /leɪ/ in the Beaujolais portion, followed by the final French-like /nuˈvoʊ/ in Nouveau. The alternation between a French-derived nasal vowel in -lais and an English-final diphthong in -veau creates a noticeable contrast. Keep the two-word separation intact, and emphasize the second syllable of Nouveau to reflect its stress pattern in English usage.
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US: tends toward /ˈboʊʒəˌleɪ nuˈvoʊ/ with stronger rhotic influence; UK: more faithful to French /ʒ/ and a slightly clipped Beaujolais; AU: similar to US but with non-rhotic tendencies and vowel reductions. IPA anchors: Beaujolais /ˈboʒəˌleɪ/ (French-like /ʒ/ and /ə/ schwa), Nouveau /nuˈvoʊ/ (American/F3). Vowel quality and rhoticity shift: US makes /ɹ/ only in other words; AU often drops nonessential /r/ in similar contexts. Practice listening to native pronunciations and mimic the mouth shapes to get the right /ʒ/ and /voʊ/ transitions.
Beaujolais Nouveau derives from Beaujolais, a wine-producing region in eastern France. Beaujolais is named after the Gauls and derived from the phrase belageolais in medieval records, reflecting the region’s identity. Nouveau is from the French nouveau, meaning new, modern, or recent, with its root in Latin novus via Old French novueu. The phrase Beaujolais Nouveau emerged in the 20th century to market the region’s prime harvest wine in its freshest form. The style and festival-like promotion grew as producers encouraged early-release bottles that could be consumed soon after harvest. First known English-language usage around mid-20th century referenced the wine’s “new” release. By the late 20th century, Beaujolais Nouveau became a global cultural event with mass media coverage, particularly in November, when the wine is released and celebrated with tastings and parties. The term therefore combines a precise geographic-origin marker (Beaujolais) with a temporal quality descriptor (Nouveau), signaling both place and moment of freshness. In current usage, Beaujolais Nouveau is understood as a light, fruity red wine and the cultural phenomenon surrounding its annual debut.
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