The final "mot"

reader Catherine Labio writes:

Hi Marie,

I am afraid that French ducks don't go "couac couac." They, as any French-speaking toddler knows, go "coin-coin."

A "couac" (French) is a false note (in music).

Warmly,

Catherine

PS from Marie: A word of explanation from a French-speaking non-toddler:

"coin-coin" is not pronounced like a repeated metal piece of money. Its phonetic transliteration would be "kwan-kwan" with the "a" sounding like the "a" in "hat". If you pronounce it that way it almost sounds like quack quack.

A French lesson

Yesterday my headline here read [a bit facetiously] :

What's "Quack " en francais?

Today I received an email from Allan Miller providing an answer:

According to the dictionary it's 'couac couac'

What's "Quack" en francais?

Photographer Murray Head writes:

Hi Marie,

I believe I have identified the nationality of Wood Ducks. Based on a decided preference for baguettes, they're . . . French!

Photos by MURRAY HEAD 2/20/11