Olympics viewers call out commentators who don’t know how you’re actually supposed to pronounce River Seine
Kya Buller
Featured Image Credit: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Olympics viewers have been left pulling their hair out after hearing the way some commenters have been pronouncing the River Seine.
The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony on 26 July took place on the famed Seine.
The second longest river in France, a lot of attention has been focused on the Seine since the Olympics kicked off.
The city of Paris is located around the halfway mark of the river, with many monuments and attractions in the capital city being placed along it.
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After public fears that the water had dangerous levels of E. coli, the French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra plunged herself into the river 13 days before the games began, in a bid to prove that it is safe.
Many water sport activities are due to take place on the Seine.
After her dip, she shared snaps on Instagram, with the caption: "Promise kept", a reference to a promise she made earlier to get in the water before the Games began.
However, when it comes to the down and dirty of the Olympics - it's not just the water quality of the Seine that viewers are bothered about.
It's also the way some people are pronouncing it.
With commentators from all over the world butchering the pronunciation, it's made a lot of people mad.
Some people pronounce it 'seen', some 'sen', others go for 'sane', while some even go for 'sign'.
Curious how to pronounce it? Watch here:
Social media has been alight with people hitting out at the botched deliveries.
One person wrote: "Can you please get all your newsreaders and presenters to pronounce the river Seine the same way. EITHER SEN OR SANE. @BBCNews."
Another said: "The olympics this year have taught me that no one fucking knows how to pronounce “Seine”. B**CH WHAT IS THE “SEE-IN RIVER?”"
A third fumed: "Note to news readers about how to pronounce "Seine". It's not "Sen" and not "Sayin'". It's about 15% "Sayin" and 85% "Sen". And the "n" should sound more like "nn". That is all. Lift your game."
Another Olympics watcher mused: "I find it baffling that all commentators are now pronouncing the river Seine has now become the “Sen” (French pronunciation) apart from asking why, just consider the same commentators are pronouncing the capital as Paris, when the French pronounce it “Paree”.
"Strange indeed."
If our calculations are correct, it's pronounced as 'Sen'.
Off we go to brush up on our pronunciation skills...