In my dictionary it says that you can say "naive or naïve, also naif or naïf".
I will start saying "naïf", because as my dictionary says "naïf" is the least spoken of 'em all.
It has less "clients" or "customers", so I will start using that word. If I don't, the word will be sad, because I didn't choose it.
Will people understand me if I say naïf or naif, instead of naive?
I'm sorry for the weird words, "naïf" is "naif" with the two points above the "i".
Sorry, but I don't understand.
I usually say nah-EEF (referring to a boy/man) or nah-EEV (referring to a girl/woman).
Native speakers should be able to understand you, if only because of context clues. Most native speakers can make out words from hearing just a few sounds (they're remarkably resilient like that!). As for non-native speakers, who knows? I know some who are able to understand people speaking broken English or English with a strong accent and non-standard pronunciation and those who are unable to understand anyone but those with similar accents and the "neutral" American and/or British accents yet nothing outside.
I never use "naif" in English; always "naive". It's like how many people never use "actress" but "actor" for both males and females.
[nai'i:v] at all times, irrespective of gender
I know, I know. I'm just an odd stickler for French grammar and pronunciation when it comes to French words in English. It's been a long time since I last wrote "bureaus"; I always write "bureaux" now.
I have a similar example: blond(e). What are the differences between "blond" and "blonde"?
Blond: male
Blonde: female
I get really annoyed with publishers who don't pay attention to these things. The amount of times I have found sentences like "he had blonde hair". AAAAh.
CG, that annoys me as well. ;) And his use of "amount of times" in that sentence sounds perfectly natural in my dialect, Mr Correct 'em.
What's your dialect, Ailian? (And here I was thinking that you were a Chinese man from Beijing; silly me!)