A quick search showed instances both of "d'Helmut" and "de Helmut"; in light of the recent G20 meeting, I also took a gander at "Hambourg" and found both "de Hambourg" and "d'Hambourg". If there's an actual prescriptive rule on this, ask the Académie. Perhaps showing off is in play, but who knows (and if you really wanted to impress, why not just pronounce the "h" and have done with it?)? Hypercorrection or lack thereof?All4Ɇn wrote:Is this an exception to the normal rules? I was under the impression that foreign names pronounced with /h/ took the aspirated h. Are there other German names like that?lsd wrote:In French, Helmut is not pronunced with aspirated h (except those pedants that try to show their knowledge in tongue...), so...
If I were a bettin' man, I'd hazard a guess that there were certain individuals for whom "d'Helmut" and "de Helmut" alternated upon instance, just 'cause. Whatever's happening, I shouldn't lay awake nights on this one.