Yep, I've had trouble with some of these, particularly the French words. I remember once being corrected, by a clerk, for my pronunciation of "beignet."

So I have a French question. How do you pronounce "concierge?" Is it a soft "g" or is it con-see-AIR, which I sometimes hear by the "more informed." I always thought it was "con-see-AIRG (soft). Shu says I am right.

You're right.

concierge

From an online French dictionary: /kõsjɛʁʒ/.

Good to know - and it's funny that those who "know their French" say it the other way.

It is a common-enough occurrence that some folks correct their pronunciation of some foreign words so that they are incorrect in that language: e.g., Mandarin Chinese Beijing, the "j" is /tɕ/ but many insist on pronouncing it /ʒ/; French coup de grâce, the final word is pronounced /gʁɑ:s/, but many leave off the final /s/ making it sound like they are saying a "blow of fat".

And the worst of it is, those people who hyper-pronounce, or whatever you call it, will look down their noses at you when you pronounce it correctly!