Resume, resumé, or résumé?

btw, I just had my French teacher translate them, she said that the one with two accents is the one that translate to what you guys are looking for.

Speedwell2, we hope that your pussy had brought you joy; we too are pussycat lovers. We noticed that you--actually many on this post, capitalize the initials for curriculum vitae. Why? P.S., we sincerely want to know. If one was speaking of Speedwell2's Curriculum Vitae then should we understand the capitalization C.V., for one's own document? Also, many here do not place periods after each letter in "CV," and we would like to know the why of that too. And (just love being a rebel by beginning my sentences with conjunctions; please join me in my rebelliousness toward American artistic expression, and use conjunctions to begin sentences) does anyone here agree with me that using curriculum vitae rather than resume seems affected unless one is communicating one's credentials from an high post within academe? We (Twain's Tapeworms) are not amused, so toward further noble dethronement consider Merriam-Webster, "French résumé from past participle of résumer to resume, summarize, from Middle French resumer." Should we or will we not agree that it's perfectly fine to use the following, resume defined as curriculum vitae? Remember me' maties, and join the revolution, anything akin to noble French is just wrong n'est-ce pas?

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!

I have to point out, Thad B, that café's doesn´t have an apostrophe. To make a plural you add an s. Apostrophe denotes possession, or a letter left out. Doesn´t it? (Does not it, leaving out the o and contracting what is left together). And of course cafés has an acute accent, as the French word being used here has one. I can´t cope with Starbucks because the cups defeat me, containing about a litre of coffee in a giant saucer with a minuscule handle, so it´s all over the table and the floor and my knees before I can get to taste it. Ridiculous! I don´t go there any more. There is one in Bangkok in Convent Street next to Molly Malone´s. I go to Molly´s instead. See the apostrophe denoting possession (she has the bar). Lots of accents there: Thai, Irish, English, Japanese ...
I am currently in Spain where there is a plethora of funny punctuation, especially the upside down ¿ before a question.

No, it is résumé. This is because it is French, borrowed by English. Pronounced roughly like ray-zoo-may. Acute accents as provided in the French dictionaries. It means a summary, the past participle of résumer which means "to summarise".
There is another word altogether in English, resume, to pick up once more where you left off. Pronounced ree-zume or rizume according to which dialect you favour. But the meaning is the issue under discussion. The discussion has gone on for nine years, and the answers require no more than a glance in a French and another in an English dictionary.
rem acu tetigi, surely?

I wonder why some of you seem to think you know better than the standard dictionaries. (In fact I wonder if some of you even bother checking a dictionary before declaring that such-and-such is the only correct answer). Most American dictionaries seem to accept all three:

Merriam -Webster - ré·su·mé or re·su·me, also re·su·mé
American Heritage Dictionary (at the Free Dictionary) -
re·su·mé or re·su·me or ré·su·mé
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary (at the Free Dictionary) - ré•su•mé or re•su•me or re•su•mé
Dictionary.com (based on Random House) - ré·su·mé, also resume, re·su·mé

Merriam-Webster leads with résumé and American Heritage leads with resumé, but both of them allow both the other variants, so it's really a matter of take your pick - all of three have arguments in their favour:

résumé - keeps the original French accents, but English doesn't always do this when it adopts French words, eg melee, negligee (accent optional)
resumé - more Anglicised, but keeps the last acute to show that the e is pronounced
resume - fully Anglicised, but could lead to pronunciation misunderstandings

Keeping the second accute accent seems a good idea to show that the final e is pronounced (which it wouldn't normally be in English), and this is what usually happens with French words ending in a sounded e, such as blasé, cliché etc. But keeping the first one is not really necessary for pronunciation in English (how many English speakers know the difference between e, é and è in French?), and is optional in words like 'debut', for example.

So pick the one you like best, but I don't think you have much grounds for saying other people are wrong if they choose one of the others.

Luckily it's not my problem; where I come from it's a CV (as it is in France, incidentally; the French don't use résumé in this meaning)

Warsaw Will,

you type in exceptionally grumpy tones today, wondering why other folk are so daft.

American dictionaries seem to follow the principle that they must be descriptive, allowing for the solecisms which have wormed their way into 'accepted' American English. English dictionaries, I think, try to be prescriptive, allowing only what has been argued or reasoned to be the 'correct' form. Long-standing errors such as aqueduct which of course should be aquaduct from Latin aqua-ducere, but isn't because it has always been aqueduct, but moving on ...,

the verb resume without accents (meaning to pick up again and continue or start again where you left off) and the noun résumé with accents (meaning a summary of anything, rather than being confined to the meaning attached to curriculum vitae) are the only ones in my English dictionary. No half-baked compromises mentioned. Melee does not need any accents it seems, rather oddly, but if you use one you have to use them both. No half measures here either. Résumé with one accent in and one left out is lazy and half-baked, ill thought through, a mess which is neither one thing nor the other, and even if American dictionaries accept this freak word that is not a sound reason to follow suit.

French is taught in schools in Britain, so the English (and Welsh and Irish and Scottish) know about French accents. That is how many people know about them, since you wonder. When we use French words in English we try use them properly, I am sure, fiancé and fiancée respectively and appropriately for example. You see linguistic horrors in the newspaper every day, but you don't put them in the dictionary. I saw "a peel of laughter" mentioned in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, for example.

I am sure that I would like when writing about perestroika and glasnost and suchlike I would use the Cyrillic alphabet to write these terms if I could remember how to get it on my keyboard. Now that would really be daft.

Hi Brus, I wasn't feeling particularly grumpy; I was trying to find a compromise. Here's you and b.r.whitney both insisting on your particular version being the only correct one, whereas you are both right, as any American dictionary would have told you.

And there are some people on this forum who never seem to look up a dictionary, even though it's only a click away. Just look at the threads on the past forms of "text" and "plead", and on "cannot" and "can not" if you don't believe me. Much of the discussion takes place as though dictionaries didn't even exist.

I can assure you that British dictionaries are just as descriptive as American ones; that is the job of a dictionary. In fact the (in)famous 3rd edition of Websters New International Dictionary was rather better received in the UK than in the US.

I accept that résumé is only given one spelling in British dictionaries, but as you say, it has a different meaning in British English, and we don't use it that much anyway. And as you well know, British spelling often differs from American spelling in any case. I wouldn't go by an American dictionary for a British usage, so it seems reasonable to stick with American dictionaries for an American usage.

Most foreign loan words that are used a lot in English sooner or later adopt a native English spelling. After all, something like a quarter of all the words in English come from French one way and another, but we don't use accents on most of them. And résumé has been around in English since 1804, so it should have been well-enough absorbed by now. As it is used a lot in American English, it wouldn't be really surprising if it also underwent some form of Anglicisation there.

What you call half-baked and lazy (and you call me grumpy!) is in fact very logical. The first accent isn't needed in English, but it helps to have the final e accented to make sure we sound it.

I think you're being a little over-optimistic if you think the average Brit has much of a finer grasp of the niceties of grave, acute and circumflex accents than the average American. I certainly didn't till I studied French at university level.

You may not like particular spellings, and that is your right and you don't have to use them. And I understand your affinity for French; it's a language I love as well. But we're talking about English,and as these alternative spellings for a specifically American usage appear in just about every American dictionary, I don't see how you can really insist that the original French spelling is the only correct one.

Personally, I trust the scholarship that goes into producing these dictionaries rather more than the personal opinions of individuals expressed in forums like this: yours, mine or anyone else's. That may sound grumpy to you, but if we cannot even accept dictionaries as representing some sort of standard, especially when they all agree (the American ones that is - for an American usage), then it seems to me we don't have much grounds for a discussion. :)

I feel like we should be planning a 10-year reunion. :-)

No matter where you put the accent (I'm in the "résumé" camp), here's an easy way to type it without having to remember each time how to do it. Use the Alt-whatever key or find the key in your Symbols options to spell the word correctly, then set up an AutoCorrect option so that whenever you type, for example, "xresume" (or whatever you want to use as your AutoCorrect option) it will automatically convert to "résumé" when you are using MS Word. Is that helpful? On that note, I will resume working on my résumé.

P.S. I still think a 10-year thread celebration is in order. June 24, 2014, would be the date, and "chas" would be the guest of honor for being the originator.

I'm mainly commenting on this thread just to say I was a part of it... an almost 10 year conversation is quite an accomplishment. As far as I can tell two accents should be used if you want to be proper, or when writing to a French person. No accents is acceptable, especially if you don't know how/ are too lazy to write the accents, or if you are writing to an American. One accent is used when you would have not used accents but you also want to use the word resume (to continue) and you need to differentiate between the two. To say that one way is more accurate than the others is slightly naïve. People have the way they prefer to write it and as long as the meaning is clear it shouldn't matter which way they choose.

This man (for it is clearly not a woman) argues that "people have the way they prefer to write it and as long as the meaning is clear it shouldn't matter which way they choose." It is fine then to write 'elefant' or 'phish' or 'kat', it follows. Pish! as Shakespeare (who spelled his name 32 different ways, I am told, according to his mood) would say.

You argue that you would go with the French version because you find their style more eloquent and pure? I respect your choice. I simply present the view that since the words are used by Americans interchangeably, that, in America, people can choose which spelling they find appropriate for their purposes. It reminds me of the clique: tomato, tomahto. Of course that's a pronunciation, not a spelling preference but the idea is the same. Especially since the accents are used for pronunciation purposes.

Well, I'm finding answers all across the board, both on this post and the Internet. This professional resumé service seems to choose the middle, single acute accent, resumé explaining that it is an English form of a French word, limiting their scope to North American audiances.

MS Word finds resumé misspelled. Lately, I've been using this form, though.

I agree with Craig. Thanks for confirming what I already knew and use.

Craig, you have hit the nail on the head. The acceptance of the incorrect spelling with one accent, which is neither French nor English, is American. The joke is, of course, that it does not feature in the actual document which it describes, as it serves no purpose, does it? Is it the title? I have never made one, nor seen one.

speedwell2, are you an engineering?

Billy Bob,
Are you kidding with your English? "are you an engineering?"

craig a lance, are you an english?

In my view it's resume'.

My reasoning is it is pronounced reh-zu-may (English speaking countries)
And the e' part is not because we are giving reference or respect to french history, but because the ending vowel changes its sound when it has an accent placed above it. ie Instead of resumee its resumay.
Which is resume'

That's how I was taught anyway.
But, I do notice my iPhone places both accents on, so that's a bit irritating.
I wonder what English teachers (or English professors) teach their students in school.

@looloo - there was a type of cheap café in Britain in the fifties and sixties, serving things like fried food more than coffee, as far as I remenber, which were indeed known by many people as 'kayfs'.

You are all the wrong the real word is pronounced 'Re-Zoom-A' and is spelt ReZomÀ

No you are wrong 'The drop kick' it is a bad name to call your self and I have been told that the real word is Resumè

its been 10 years. and I still hate improper grammar

Resumé would be the international spelling for a document known in America as a CV. This is pronounced the same as café which is also a French word adopted worldwide for a coffee shop. Apparently the English language is spoken in the US also.

I live in Canada and we would be appalled to see "resume" (pronounced here as "re-zoom") as the spelling for something we pronounce as "reh-zoom-ay". Either "resumé" or more correctly "résumé" works for us, and we don't consider the accent(s) poncey or pretentious. Then again, the majority of us also speak French, so accents are pretty normal up here. Perhaps just use "CV" and spare us trying to figure out if you're wanting to begin again or seeking a job. But please don't call us pretentious for using correct spelling. :) While we're at it , what's up with "story" to indicate the number of floors in a building? I guess there really are many stories in the Naked City. But clearly no storeys. I'm American-born but it still drives me nuts to see letters dropped for no discernible reason.

The accent is called an accent aigu and is usually put on both e's so the reader does not confuse résumé with resume - meaning to start working again on what you were doing previsously

Bryan Quach, you've solved the mystery!!!!! So both DO have diacritical marks; it's just that one goes to the left and one goes to the right. Twelve years after this thread started we finally have an answer that makes sense to me (unless someone else posted something similar in the past 12 years and I missed it. Thank you because honestly I didn't know about acute ( ´ ) and grave ( ` ) because I thought there was just é.

Sorry to correct Jun-Dai, however "anyways" is not an English word!

The verb 'resume' [meaning: "to continue working on a unfinished job"] is to be ideally-avoided when one includes the word "resumé" [pronounced "reh zhoo may"] or "résumé" [pronounced "reh zhoo reh] in the contents of your resumé [or résumé] to be 'snail-mail' sent to your prospective employer... such as: "Please evaluate the contents of my resume for their affinity to your published-requirements of the job-position opening that I am interested to do." Contextually, that sentence can't pass muster to a spelling-corrector-nutso; but the following, could: "Please evaluate the contents of my resumé for their affinity to your published-requirements of the job-position opening that I am interested to do." AND: "Please evaluate the contents of my résumé for their affinity to your published-requirements of the job-position opening that I am interested to do."

There are strict correct-spelling-nutsos in HR Departments; and your incorrectly-spelled word resumé [or résumé - or correctly-American-English-spelled "resume"] can very-likely get your application-letter fast-forwarded on-the-fly to the receiver's trash-can!

This particular French-word's total-absorption into the English tongue [and especially into the American-English lingo] isn't an excuse to do away with the accented "é" or "és" because:
(a) at best, the writer is presumed a lackluster and a liberal-minded idiot with 'loose' manners as regards laws'/rules' abidance who shouldn't be entrusted with mathematical calculations, scientific experientations, engineering specifications, financial matters [accounting, auditing], medical prescriptions, written legal argumentation, military secrets, pædagogical teaching and poetic/oratorical writings!

and,

[b] at worst, the writer would be perceived as an English-speaking anti-French / anti-France racist extraordinaire who'd anglicized everything-French not out of routine convenience but for outright hatred against everything France-related. . .excepting french fries, perhaps - but definitely not any comely mademoiselle (if one is an English-speaking gent with raging-testosterone) or a Monsieur Adonis (if one is an estrogen-driven English-speaking lady)! That is, in addition to those irresistible bottles French champagne and cognac—which respective international trademarks can get the foolish English-speaking idiot legally-prosecuted if such stupid-fool insists to anglicize any of 'em!!! Moreover, any idiotic English-speaking moron could likely physically-and-insultingly thrown-out by enraged mobs of Québécois and/or Québécoise off the Canadian Province of Québéc with the proscriptive words "Persona non grata" explicitly tattooed in his/her passport to signify his/her lifelong-ban from re-entry into the extremely-discriminating world of those proud-of-their distinctive French-culture and everything-français, les Canadiennes et les Canadiens!

In re: Roger Burnell's entry, quote: "Sorry to correct Jun-Dai, however 'anyways' is not an English word!" - end quote; I fully agree that the aforecited word isn't an English-word. However, 'tis a popularly-accepted American-English slang that – in my opinion – signifies the speaker's unique 'Americanness' and personal comfy in being such one. . .irregardless of anybody's discomforts or critique.

I would disagree with Jun-Dai in that the middle spelling (using an accent on only the last e) is actually correct and accents on both e's would be incorrect, both in terms of pronunciation and misuse of the accent on the first e.
I, and others, feel that no accent is confusing and, again, being a French word, incorrect.

Résumé, it is...

In our Americanizing this French-word, we shouldn't become the French-people's laughing-stock! Respecting the French would beget us French's respect, in return.

Q: "May I resume work on my work resumé?"
by CareerCoachDavid (May-03-2017)
___________

RESPONSE: "No, you mustn't; 'resumé' is a verboten word hereabouts. That said, you may resume work on your barely-started résumé. . .at once!"

'Tis the acute-accented letter 'e' - according to Duckduckgo.com.
ˌ
rɛzʊˈmeɪ, ˌreɪ-/ UK: /ˈrɛzjʊmeɪ/

And the correct spelling of the process - not a 'thing' - that gets a job-applicant the job he/she applied-for. . .are correctly-spelled as:
"r é s u m é" and "J O B - I N T E R V I E W".

Let us just start referring to it as the Document of Lies.

In re - "Message to Americans: please do not attempt to pronounce French words. Unless you have studied French in France or unless you have been taught by native French speakers, please, please, please don't bother. You always get it so, so wrong. [. . .]"

I say 'tis far better to have tried - but failed; than never to have tried at all! Moreover, what has gone wrong with "Keep Trying Until You Succeed!"?

Arto7, if you must deliberately-err in situations whereby your 'erroneous-act[s]' might've dire conequentials, then strive to err on the side of safety and reason.

In re "résumé" that could affect your employment application, just think:

a- IF you use "resume" to describe your curriculum vitae, your chosen word conveys 2-different meanings that strictly-business-specific communications might unlikely tolerate. Double-entendre words, phrases and sentences would lead to obvious misunderstanding.

b- However, the usage of the word "résumé" is specific to one and only meaning - that even in the hands of puristic-anglophile can be immediaetely-understood even if the said-anglophile might smirk at the word. You might be denied the job you've applied for on the prejudicial-basis of being perceived as a francophile - which if so. . .can give you legal grounds for appeal[s].

here's the thing... obviously English has borrowed this "accented" word from another language... but in modern times, "resumé" does the job correctly of informing a reader that the two e's are pronounced differently, and that the final "e" is definitely NOT silient (it's not "rayzumay", is it? it's "rezumay") so only the middle spelling portrays the modern day English pronunciation accurately

If you are going to borrow a word from another language, you should spell it that way it is spelled in that language, not put your own interpretation on it because you pronounce it incorrectly or can't be bothered to even try to pronounce it correctly or because you have no respect for the other language.

You therefore either spell it the way it's spelled in French or you drop both accents entirely because English words have no accents. if you make it an English word, then you can't logically have an accent after the second "e". If you do, it is a non-word: neither French nor English, nor any other language.

It may be different for the arts, but we typically do not have to title our brag sheets.

If you do, I suggest you use the original word - résumé, no permutation of it; or, use CV / Curriculum Vitae.

Ironically, résumé originates from Latin (not directly - I know it's French). The word means "Summary". Look at "Summary": Sum + (+m) + -ary. In Latin, sum means "to be", and summa means "the highest part", or "the whole". Like the english word "sum".

If you wanna be a real star, you should title the document, "Mea Laureolae", or "Mei Principati", or something like that.

check it ma dogs
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/r%C3%A9sum%C3%A9

OK it was a *minor* disagreement regarding the spelling...

MSft "Bill" enforces one spelling, and some pronunciation SMEs profess another. Either way (both "e"s having the acute accent, or the last having it is fine).

I simply use MSWord rather frequently... and the squiggly red underline annoys my OCD considerably... :-)

Quote: "By the way, somewhere along the way, I was taught that when spelling phonetically, a consonant sandwiched between two syllables is nearly always considered to be part of the second syllable. "

Porsche,
I was taught the same. Additionally, I was taught that where double consonants come into play, the syllables are split between them; i.e., an-te-bel-lum.

I agree with Savvy and porsche about the accent changing the vowel sound and pronunciation. I would use Resumé based on my past experience with reading French. Two accents looks like you don't know what you're doing and would be pronounced with the same sound for both "e" characters, and I think most people here would agree that's incorrect. Regarding Brian W.'s post, the sound of the vowels in a word is changed by where you syllabicate a word, which is why we pronounce the "e" sound when a syllable break is added before the final "e" (three syllables total). When used as resume (as in restarting something), there are only two syllables, not three, and in that case, the "e" is silent and is used to make the previous vowel sound long.

Actually Resume has the two accents on both e's (if you mean a "job profile" resume.) It's spelt like this: résumé

I, too, learned it many years ago as resumé. That spelling and the spelling "resume" mean two different things. And, referring to pronunciation, résumé and resumé are TWO entirely different things!! --Unfortunately, with the advent of the Internet (now, lazily typed as 'internet", I do not put much stock in the dictionary, either. If something is misspelled enough, then it shows up in the dictionary.

Former newspaper managing editor, freelance writer
and advocate for the correct use of the "'s" -- It's NOT "business's" (--yes! I've seen it! in nationally published print!)

Wisconsin

For what it's worth - MS Word does NOT like the single accented version... which is why I went looking on the internet for answers, as I do not like to defer to Bill Gates without just cause.

This discussion is getting quite long, but as an FYI, a résumé and a CV are not the same thing. A résumé is condensed, while a CV lists out more or less everything you've done. I work in a healthcare profession IN THE US and we do NOT use the terms interchangeably. Healthcare professions as well as academia usually use a CV, which can be as long as forty pages. Nobody wants to see a résumé that long, but in these areas, you really do need to see what papers a professor has published, what awards he has won, etc..

Windows, any version, accents:
Ctrl+' then e = é Hold down the Ctrl key, tap the ' and let go...nothing shows until you tap the letter e (either case)
Ctrl+` (above the tab key) e = è
Ctrl + , (comma) c = ç
Ctrl + Shift + 6 with ^ then o = ô Hold the Ctrl and Shift keys together, tap the 6 above t and y, let them go and tap the letter o
Ctrl + Shift + ~ (above the tab key) then o = õ
Ctrl+Shift+ : (colon/semi-colon key) o = ö
If the accented letter exists in any romance language, a bit of imagination and you can create it from our standard, US keyboard.

Clancey, this has been said before, but those methods only work in certain applications like Microsoft Word, Wordpad, etc. They do not work with Notepad or with Windows in general.

Porschee, so are you saying don't use any accents? Or memorize or look up the ASCII code combos?
Could always create the accents/accented words in MSWord and copy n paste it into any file of choice - including out here.
Where would you use accented letters in "Windows in general" - and who even uses Notepad these days?

Phew Porsche - such ire!
Can't imagine your reaction to something of importance...

Thanks Robert!

Résumé - a noun, resume - a verb. If we good ol' boys can pronounce San Ho-zay and know San Josie makes one snicker or sigh, certainly we can learn a few simple accent keystrokes on any computer keyboard of choice to present words as they sound? Please?

Hmmm...maybe avoid the entire issue and go with "CV" or "Curriculum Vitae"! When I checked several sources "Résumé" seems be preferred.

Merriam-Webster lists "Résumé" as a noun and "resume" as a verb. One is your CV and the other is to take up again where you left off.

It is interesting reading various phonetic spellings of words. For example in US English "dew" rhymes with "do" and "duke" is "dook". I was partially raised in England and moved to Canada. I learnt "dew" as "dyew" and "duke" as "dyuke".

Americans always claim that Canadians pronounce "out" and "about" as "oot" and "aboot", personally I can't hear it. So, what do Americans hear when Canadians actually say "a boot" and "oot"?

A slightly different spin on FrenchMajor's point -

some people may be indifferent/unaffected by the choice of accents here, subscribing to the 'they are all equally valid' camp.

Other people may have a strong preference for one choice, or a strong dispreference for a particular variant - someone may consider two accents pretentious, or one accent ignorant, or no accents confusing.

Personally, I do not worry about confusing anyone by using no accent. If they cannot understand from context, then misunderstanding that word is probably the least of their problems in understanding my prose; and in written form I don't care about helping people pronounce English words. Having previously used the one accent version, it now appears obviously wrong to me, and I wouldn't want to appear ignorant to someone who in other ways shares my linguistic preferences; conversely, I have no desire to appeal to anyone who has a very strong preference for the single accent version. FWIW, I will probably use the non-accented version in future, given resume has passed into English in the same way as words like cafe that no longer require an accent; unless the intended audience gives me reason to adopt the double accented version.

Porsche:

Correct you are. And very astute in your observation, knowledge, and response. At the same time, the two accent classifications, many times, as in this case, are not controllable, either by the mandated font for web site commentary i. e. I was unable to select a font of choice, or the MS packages, et cetera, are not available. Normally, i correspond with fountain pen on parchment. True story. This provides the latitude for proper angel and accent. I had no choice in the accent in this font. The tough decision again. Include the accent or go naked or half naked. I wentt clothed and, as you noticed, it was a bit painful, yet at least, placed the appropriate markings in the appropriate place. My further point, and quagmire, is the selection of bastardized, or Americanized, or any other forced transitional or evolutional spellings. I do not find it proper to manufacture a word, nor change it from its original form. That's just my preference. The exception might be creating words of different flavours, as many poets from Cummings, to philosphers as Nietzsche. They are wordsmiths and artists. They have made a mark by innovatively contributing written communication. As for the absolute correctness, as per perspective and designation of French grammar, please do provide the word in this environemnt, with the correct accents (both of them, and point me in the right direction to obtain the character sets. Really, that would be a fantastic help to me. (By the way, even some dictionary sites have the wrong accent). along these lines, I noticed you rely on dictionaries quite a bit. I do not. dictionaries are arbitrary documentation. They are useful only when you consider the motivation and style of the source. So, hey, help me out and send me the exact French correction in "......" format and tell me where you got the correct characters. I look forward to it.......

An innocent enquiry on the web has led me to this monster-thread. Glad to see that the English language remains as living, contentious and interesting as ever.

My ha'penny worth: as a Brit, I would say that most people on the lookout for a job nowadays in the UK use the term CV despite the true meaning of the word denoting chapter and verse of your entire life's accomplishments.

The term résumé is understood but used far less in this context, I would argue.

Perhaps because we are next door to France, and perhaps because it is drummed into you as a kid, I feel more comfortable using the accented version rather than the unaccented as that could be confused with the verb which means something else entirely.

You must apply the proper declension......CURRICULUM VIAE.......that would be far more effective in avoiding looking like an idiot , rather than leaving out accents because you don't know what theymean, how to use them, and how to pronounce them........

There ae numerous dimensions as to what is "correct" and incorrect. Itis a matterof preference and identifying yourself with a frame of reference or culture. Everyone justifies their own particular view and is quite rightin doing so. Who cares? It's what you say in your intervie and the actual qualities you posses that make the difference. The way you spell your life's digest is inconsequential.

Peter Messervy - the initials CV definitely stand for Curriculum vitae. Your "chapter and verse" sounds like a "backronym" created by someone who wasn't quite sure what CV stood for - or they were pulling your leg!

The only time I've heard the phrase "chapter and verse" was watching Sharpe on television (the series based on the Bernard Cromwell books and starring Sean Bean).

Personally I'd avoid writing "resume", "CV" or any other such word at the top of your CV. Just put your name - it should stand out better. Of course, different countries and industries have preferred rules, so perhaps it is best to consult a book about writing a CV.
I think Weetus is overly fond of putting little marks above letters ;-)
I use "zed" (correct in English and French) but I'm quite happy for people to use "tzet" (German). "Zee" is zomething people do with their eyes!

I have been an editor and also a college instructor for years. I have learned that every publishing house or corporation has its own way of doing things; so, I tell my students to make up their mind based on available sources, but to do whatever is asked by the person giving a grade or paying their check. They can think what they want about that person's intelligence on their own time. As for your current conflab, let's just all chuck the things and go down and sign up for unemployment or some other government program. Probably earn more than in publishing or education, either one.

"Richie's" advice is right on. There is no need to label one's CV. In fact, so doing so is a minor fault on a document that needs to be as perfect as possible.

I think "resume" is a French word, not an English word, and therefore should be spelled the way the French spell it, with the accent marks--and put in italics. In time it may be taken up into English, and Anglicized, but it hasn't been yet. (More likely it will fall out of use as pretentious and be replaced with "CV," or, better, something like "personnel summary.")

I understand the opposition to accent marks. The virtual absence of them in English is an advantage: typing goes much faster. Try typing Vietnamese, which is loaded with similar marks, to see the difference.

I am a career counselor in the US (dealing with resumes every day), and I use the word without the accents, partly because accents are not used in English (so using them looks affected), partly because it is too much trouble to get the computer to do them. But I'll bet the novelty spelling with one final accent got started because someone was trying to distinguish the word from "resume," as in "I will resume watching TV after I finish writing my resume." Doesn't make it write though! ; )

It appears that this thread will resume its course for many a year to come, despite it's near 7 year journey. It would also appear that I (and probably many others) have spent far too much time thread sifting, rather than job hunting. :)

P.S. I say Résumé. Also, I second converting documents to PDF before submitting. It ensures security, integrity, and even demonstrates a level of professionalism.

I came to this thread looking to find out whether to spell cafe as cafe or with an acute diacritic as in café. I didn't realise (sorry about the s - I am Australian) the extent of this dilemma? I must admit I tended to say resume and I concur that resumes are short histories of employment and CVs are the full monty of all achievements. Also if it transpires that we must use a diacritic then can it be only 1 because two in one word just seems like too much work

As a professional proofreader (I also manage several other proofreaders, and so I am bombarded by these types of questions on a daily basis), we simplify this process and choose to accept 'resume' as our preferred word choice for our clients. As stated above, you may use the original French version of this word, however, the feedback we have received suggests that employers, especially, look for concise, clear language and are 'turned off' by language that is overworked unnecessarily for the sake of being 'fancy' as mentioned above.

I've looked through the posts, but saw nothing of this point at issue: the word 'resume' - as in to return to a state of - is identical to the word resumé if you completely eliminate the accent marks. In that it should be the goal of anyone writing for comprehension to make their writing as clear as possible, with as little room for ambiguity as possible, it would seem to me that a reader would have at least a momentary glitch in comprehension until context took over if the two words were left identical. I lean toward the use of the accent mark for another reason: pronunciation. Accented properly, the pronunciation of the final e is made easier through use of the accent.

fmerton for the win! I'll expand:

Some countries have organizations that define their language. I have heard that the French do, in a form sometimes published as Dictionnaire de l'Académie française (pardon any mistakes in accent and the like - I am not a French speaker/typer) and that this is considered official and definitive, though sometimes ignored. Apparently Spain has an academy of sorts, and other countries that share that language also do.

In America, we do not, nor does it appear that other English-speaking countries do.

Dictionaries, as fmerton so rightly pointed out, describe what is, not what should be.

So we can all yell, or be polite, or argue, or do whatever else we like to enforce or support our own points of view on the proper spelling of the word currently the source of this long, long exchange. They still remain our own points of view, and only that.

It's almost one of the last arenas in which liberty still has a fairly wide, even dominating influence: language and usage.

Oh, and hi marklark. Been a long time. Funny to see you here. Hope you are well.

Thank you for a completely fascinating debate!

Organizations that certify resume, résumé, and resumé writers advocate specifically (if you wish to acquire your certification) that you adopt the spelling "résumé." (Been there, done that, have the t-shirt). I, however, humbly disagree. As already noted, some pretension is communicated in that spelling, and right or wrong, "resumé" does not carry that same feeling.

The accent on the last é does do the best job of distinguishing the pronunciation of this word from the ongoing "resume," regardless that English does not use accent marks. And, yes, the context of the word is not likely to be confusing, and yes, "epitome" does not use an accent, but, wouldn't it be just grand if it did? It would keep some of us from sounding completely stupid. Possibly.

I love this discussion! The BBC practice of pronouncing foreign place names as if they are written phonetically (as opposed to pronouncing them in their native tongue) - think Nicaragua (nick-are-agg-you-uh) - is matched only by the American abiltiy to speak non-standard English. We use non-English words on a regular basis, but invariably pronounce them incorrectly -- hence the "reh-zoo-may". My favorite, though, is "lingerie" -- which nearly EVERY American who uses the word pronounces it as "lawn-jer-ay". Back on topic - I use résumé to show that I can parle un petit peu francais, and have both a résumé (listing my artistic accomplishments) and a CV (listing my academic experiences). The former is a list - the latter a narrative.

Speedwell2, where have you been all my life?!??!
Let's run away together and file some shit.
:)

For f---'s sake guys - I cannot believe this - it's an endless game of chess!

May I suggest ditching Resume for, 'Executive Summary' - and:
using 'CV' for all the rest?

'Executive Summary' or 'Synopsis'.

It's a grave discussion, gone acute...

Hell, Jason,

You're clearly committed to prolonging this farce!

Does anyone in this country actually work? It's 2:34pm here and if you're checking this site from your office computer, you're stealing time from your company. Give it a rest! I feel sorry for the people who stumble on this site looking for real answers from real experts.
- retired from teaching college and tired of egocentic, pedantic, sophists.
(I have to say I love your comment Jason - fight farce with farce : )

I guess saying ray-zew-may is correct in French but saying that down here in Alabama it'll make you look like a pretentious ass unless you say it to be funny.

rehzoomay it is for me.

"it'll make you"

Sorry. No edit button.

I notice in the original post Chas called it "the thing that gets you a job". If only. Although to be fair, that was seven years ago...

Do you agree that there are three ways of spelling the word to in the English language.
What is the proper way to write this sentence

'résumé' is (should be) the correct spelling since it comes from French, Northern American speakers sometimes use it without the accents which doesn't make any sense since they keep it for other French words like fiancé, café, canapé, cliché, sauté etc

PS: I am a linguist and a language teacher.

We don't pronounce it résumé, we say, resumé. Good to see the new generation coming through.

PS: You're a dictionary expert? Well, check a couple out.

On a Mac I hit the option key & E key at the same time, followed by the vowel that I want the accent symbol over (á é í ó ú). However with a consonant I get this: (´b ´c ´d).

how about abandoning the accent thing and spell it with English phonetics--rayzoomay, or perhaps, rezoomay

Guy: "So put me in the apparently non-existant third camp, the middle."
You've got quite a few supporters I think.

For me it's pretty simple. If you borrow an accented word from another language, it just seems common sense to either keep all the accents or drop them all. Take "déjà vu" for instance. I'd think "deja vu" was OK, but I'd consider both "déja vu" and "dejà vu" to be wrong. I don't see how résumé is any different. There is of course the added complication that "resume" looks like another English word, so I'd tend to go with "résumé".

A few folks have mentioned "cafe" as if it isn't spelled with the accent. From my OED: cafe |kaˈfā, kə-| ( also café ). It also lists resume as a variant of résumé.

M-W has all three: ré·su·mé or re·su·me also re·su·mé.

Take your pick. They're all right!

^^^Oops, that first sentence should read ... as if it isn't spelled without the accent.

Not sure if I'll continue reading beyond July of 2010, but the previous six years were fun! With the discussions of how to achieve é in a document, whatever your preference for the word under discussion, you can find any character you need in a Windows environment by opening the program, charmap. Once you do, select the typeface you're using, find the specific character and click on it. You can copy it and paste it into your document or use the key combination that appears below it.

I came to this page looking for insight on how the spelling, résumé, would be perceived by a hiring manager. I know a lot more than I did, but not that. I always thought Résumé at the top of a page appeared a little affected. But, now, it seems more proper to me, based on what I've read.

I'm simply amazed that this thread, started over 7 years ago, is still alive and well!! It's educational, amusing and confusing as well!
Just wanted to make that observation. Let the comments resume....

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The plural of curriculum vitae ("course of life") is curricula vitarum. vitae is the genitive singular and vitarum is the genitive plural. vita is the nominative singular and vitae is also the nominative plural.

This is no help...:( I came on here trying to find out WHAT stress marks are and how they are used...lol
it's crazy how this argument^ has been going on for like 8?yrs! XD

What about use of an apostrophe to show possession on a name that already includes an accent mark? Desiree's or Desiree''s?

My God! Don't you people have anything better to do???

To avoid any conversion of fonts/ accented Es just save your documents as a pdf prior to uploading them. Then you can use the proper French spelling or any American English translation you would like...

I just wanted to add a comment to this ridiculously long thread. Thanks for the advise everyone. I am sure it has already been posted but I use ALT 0233

@majikthise Why not just use ALT GR + e?

Oh, and here in the UK we use CV. Far easier :)