How do you hyphenate "Lagrangian"?

Question

This is a proper noun (used extensively in physics) named after a French monsieur. How should this word be hyphenated? Should it follow English or French pronunciation rules, or something else?

rajah9 · Accepted Answer

I would go your style guide.
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS, 13th ed.) says:

Word division. The fundamental principle of French word division is to divide as far as possible on a vowel, avoiding consonantal ending of syllables except where n nasalizes a preceding vowel:

a-che-ter

in-di-vi-si-bi-li-té

ba-lan-cer (not bal-an-cer)

ta-bleau (not tab-leau)

(Section 9.27)
While it is better to not divide a proper name, word division for a French word might be:

La-gran-gi-an

Anton · Answer

As you remark, Lagrangian is used as a noun; it is a mathematical function that encapsulates the dynamics of a mechanical system. It is also used adjectivally to describe a way of dealing with motion of objects, different from a Newtonian way, for example.
It is not clear from your question why you would wish to use the word in a hyphenated construction. One acceptable example might be

"Lagrangian-inspired"
MITpressjournals

In this case the author followed the usual rule for hyphenation, creating a compound adjective.
In decades of Physics I have always heard the word pronounced in manner of the French name Lagrange or in an Anglicised  manner where the each bold "a" in "Lagrangian" is short and of similar sound. I regret that I am not competent to express this part of the answer in conventional phonetics.

How do you hyphenate "Lagrangian"?

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