accent mark question about american names [closed]

Solution 1:

The diaresis or tréma (not an umlaut), over the 'e' in given names like Chloë, Zoë, or Noël, is used to inform or remind the reader that the 'e' is a separate syllable, so that they do not rhyme with 'hoe', 'toe', or 'Joe'. It is seen in the surname of the Brontë sisters, who were 19th century English writers. Their father changed it from Brunty, some say, to disguise his humble background. It is a matter of style, and if the correct way to pronounce those names is widely known, then a diaresis is often considered unnecessary, or, possibly, affected.

The diaresis is old-fashioned, verging on archaic, in British English, but held out longer in the USA, notably in the New Yorker, but even there its usefulness is in doubt. Allegedly the style editor of that publication said in 1978 that he was thinking of changing the style guidance to remove it, but 'then he died and nobody has dared bring it up since':

The fact is that, absent the two dots, most people would not trip over the “coop” in “cooperate” or the “reel” in “reelect” (though they might pronounce the “zoo” in “zoological,” a potential application of the diaeresis that we get no credit for resisting). And yet we use the diaeresis for the same reason that we use the hyphen: to keep the cow out of co-workers.

Basically, we have three options for these kinds of words: “cooperate,” “co-operate,” and “coöperate.” Back when the magazine was just getting started, someone decided that the first misread and the second was ridiculous, and adopted the diaeresis as the most elegant solution with the broadest application.

The Curse of the Diaeresis

As for the others, mainly found in French loan words, è (e grave), is used in French within a word to make the vowel flat (like in set, pet, or met), é (e acute) is used to make it rhyme with hay, way, tray, etc, ê (e circonflexe) does not change the pronunciation but compensates for a dropped following 's' in modern French (dropped from the Old French spelling, I mean).