By the way, why is the “c’h” pronounced differently in Ploulec’h and Ploumanac’h? – These intriguing town names

If the “c’h” of Ploumanac’h is pronounced like a “k” in French, that of Ploulec’h is pronounced like the “jota” in Spanish. Where does this difference come from ? We asked the question to Gireg Konan, a specialist in toponymy in Trégor.

“Ploumanac’h means ‘the port of the monk’, the monk being of course Saint Guirec”, he explains in the preamble. “The c’h was originally pronounced like that of Ploulec’h. But the French speakers didn’t know how to pronounce it, so they started to pronounce it Ploumanak. » In Ploulec’h, « Breton may have remained more present, so people have more or less kept the original correct pronunciation. »