As in Quai Branley, that is – Jean Nouvel’s stunning new home for the arts of Africa and Oceania near the Champs des Mars. The proper pronunciation of “quai” became a little bone of contention this week, however, since in English both “cay” – as in little island or atoll – and “quay” – as in riverbank – are pronounced similarly, like “key.” And since the French “quai” has the same meaning as the English “quay,” I naturally assumed they were phonetically similar as well. Not so. Quai – despite my insistence to the contrary – is in fact pronounced “kay.” So mind your p’s and q’s, boys and girls – especially strolling Le Quai.
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