Supposedly, it was on this date in 1897 that the envelope seal was patented. We have nothing to say about that historic event; instead, we address the question of why the pronunciation \ahn-velope\ gets some folks so steamed up.

Lexicographers report that the \ahn-velope\ pronunciation is used just as frequently as the \en-velope\ pronunciation, and that both pronunciations are considered acceptable. So why do some commentators deride \ahn-velope\ as "pseudo-French" or "a strange, ignorant mispronunciation"?

It is true that the name for those flat, usually paper wrappers came into English from French, and English speakers trying to anglicize the French enveloppe would probably say \ahn-velope\. Further, the \ahn-velope\ pronunciation has role models in such non-controversial French borrowings as en route, encore, and entrepreneur (all pronounced with the Francophone \ahn\).

Why does \ahn-velope\ so \ahn-rage\ (or enrage) the experts? The word has been part of English for hundreds of years, and apparently some people think it should be fully anglicized by now. Regardless of their arguments, they object strongly to that pronunciation, and if you want to avoid censure, stick with the \en\ instead of the \ahn\.

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