Pronunciation of Vowels and Consonants
To talk about the particular sounds of a language, we refer to the International Phonetic Alphabet. You will hear the pronunciation of these sounds on the next few tracks. For now, we will concentrate on the sounds that present the most challenges for an English speaker.
French Vowels and Semi-Vowels
French vowels are pronounced with none of the diphthong sound of their English counterparts (in other words, the gliding sound between two vowels). Listen to the difference between the French /a/ and the English “a” in the name Ann(e).
TRACK 9
Ann Anne
Table 1-8
Ipa Symbol |
Letter or Letter Combination |
French Word |
/a/ |
a |
|
e |
||
ξ |
e, è |
|
/e/ |
e, é |
|
/i/ |
i |
|
/u/ |
ou, où |
|
/y/ |
u |
|
/w/ |
ou, o (before i) |
|
/j/ |
i, ill |
|
(ø) |
eu |
|
(œ) |
eu, oeu |
|
/o/ |
o, au, eau |
|
o |
TRACK 10
/a/: The French “a” is always pronounced like the “a” of the English word “ah.”
/y/: This sound, which does not exist in English, is pronounced as if you were pronouncing the /i/ of Philippe, but with your lips rounded, to form the sound of the word
tu ./w/ and /j/: These semi-vowels do not exist in English. They are pronounced very quickly, as are consonants (thus their status as almost vowels)!
Les Voyelles Nasales
In French, when a vowel is followed by an “m” or an “n,” the “m” or “n” is not pronounced and the vowel is pronounced with a nasal sound.
TRACK 11
Table 1-9
IPA symbol |
Letter Combination |
Word |
on/om |
||
œ |
un/um/in/ain/aim |
|
ã |
en/em/an/am |
Note that when an ending nasal vowel occurs in a
French is known for the rolling “r” sound. You can learn to roll your r's, too, with just a little bit of practice. Start to make a “k” sound and hold it. Close your throat a little bit, breathe out slowly, and start to say “raw.” Don't worry if it starts to come out as “graw” — keep doing it. Practice this a couple of times a day, and you'll soon sound just like Gérard Depardieu.
French Consonants
In general, French consonants are pronounced crisply, and do not have the aspiration (puff of breath) found in English consonants. Note the difference between the pronunciation of a French and English “t” in the name Thomas.
TRACK 12
A few consonants and combinations to watch out for in French:
TRACK 13
Table 1-10
Letters |
Examples |
ch |
|
gn |
|
qu |
|
s |
|
ss |
“ch”: Note that although in general, “ch” is pronounced like “sh,” there are a few words in which it is pronounced like “k”: Christine, for example.
“s” and “ss”: When found in the middle of a word, “s” is pronounced like a “z,” while “ss” is always pronounced as an “s.”
The French “r”
The French “r” is more guttural than the English one, made at the back of the throat instead of at the front.
TRACK 14
