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by Jannae on July 18th, 2008

Jannae

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Help answer this question below.

So many people say "It's not my forte" and pronounce it FOR-tay. Did you know that FOR-tay is Italian for "increase your vocal volume" (roughly) and the word they're really looking for is pronounced FORT (French for "strength")?

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Answers. 9 helpful answers below.

  • by NotTheDoctor on July 18th, 2008

    NotTheDoctor

    Actually, in Italian, "forte" does mean "strong." It's only as a term in music that it means "to play at a loud volume."

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  • by Garyd11 on June 14th, 2009

    Garyd11

    Forte in Italian doesn't mean "increase your vocal volume." To increase volume, vocal or otherwise, the Italian word is "crescendo." Forte in Italian means "strong." It is used by musicians (vocal and instrumental) to mean loud, but the real Italian meaning is strong.

    In French, It's not my forte is translated as "Ce n'est pas mon fort." And if you translate the French into Italian, it's "Questo non è il mio forte." So using the Italian pronunciation is not incorrect.

    Add to all this the fact that in French, the "t" isn't even pronounced, it's really an incorrect French pronunciation to say "fort" as in Fort Myers, when actually it's [fore] as in what you yell when you hit a golf ball toward someone and you want to warn them.

    Bottom line is both pronunciations are acceptable:

    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/forte

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/

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  • by Slothy on July 18th, 2008

    Slothy

    Forte in Italian can mean loud which could be strong kind of. I think people are using in the French way though, so yes, it should be fort, which is wierd. But, I know that if I say it correctly people will just be like uh it's for tay and then I'll have to explain.

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  • by top54u on July 18th, 2008

    top54u

    I have no idea about it.. :(

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  • by hartdaniel on July 18th, 2008

    hartdaniel

    add another definition
    A strength or talent.

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  • by Robin_N816 on April 24th, 2011

    Robin_N816

    I just watched a communitychannel video (FrAHnce?) and she pronounced the word just like that, so i immediately googled for the expression 'not my fortay' because i tend to misunderstand her australian accent quite often XD

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  • by iwnit on April 24th, 2011

    iwnit

    "forte
    Etymology 1
    From French fort (“strong”), from Latin fortis (“strong”).
    - Pronunciation
    (UK) IPA: /fɔt/ or IPA: /fɔtˈeɪ/ or IPA: /ˈfɔteɪ/
    (US) IPA: /fɔɻt/ or IPA: /fɔɻtˈeɪ/ or IPA: /ˈfɔɻteɪ/
    Traditionally pronounced by purists with only one syllable (like fort), it comes from a French noun. Often confused in usage with forte, a two-syllable word coming from Italian. The two words are considered Heteronyms in written English only if the accent mark is dropped. Without the accent mark its proper pronunciation must be gleaned from context, often leading to mispronunciation.
    - Noun
    forte (plural fortes)
    1. A strength or talent.
    He writes respectably, but poetry is not his forte.
    2. The strong part of a sword blade, close to the hilt."

    "Etymology 2
    From Italian forte (“strong”).
    - Pronunciation
    (UK) IPA: /ˈfɔteɪ/
    (US) IPA: /ˈfɔɻteɪ/
    - Noun
    forte (plural fortes)
    1. A passage in music to be played loudly; a loud section of music.
    This forte marks the climax of the second movement.

    - Adjective
    forte (comparative fortissimo, superlative fortississimo)
    1. (music) Loud. Used as a dynamic directive in sheet music in its abbreviated form, {f.}, to indicate raising the volume of the music. (abbreviated in musical notation with an f, unicode character 1D141)
    This passage is forte, then there's a diminuendo to mezzo piano."
    Source and further information:
    http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forte

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  • by tippicanoe on April 22nd, 2011

    tippicanoe

    http://www.thefreedictionary.com/forte

    It is now a word in English. Yes, it was adopted from French, or Italian, but it is common knowledge that English is a "bastard" language, taking from many others.

    When used by someone speaking English, both the 't' and the 'e' are pronounced.

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  • by Dmitri on July 18th, 2008

    Dmitri

    I did not know that, Jannae. I will try my best to say it right next time, though I type it just the same!

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