Académique Documents
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Foreword page 2
Rhythm page 3
Consonants page 4
Liaisons page 7
Accents page 8
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FOREWORD
French Pronunciation
(The Basics)
A written guide is probably not the best way to learn how to pronounce
French as it does not allow you to hear the words or allow for variations
in accent. There are many websites on French pronunciation with sound
files which are free. They are well worth looking at and will go into more
detail than I have in this guide.
http://www.frenchtutorial.com/standard/pronunciation/eacute.php
http://www.jump-gate.com/languages/french/french1.html
http://french.about.com//library/pronunciation/bl-pronunciation.htm
I do not recommend that anyone should read this guide through and try
to take all the points on board immediately. It is divided up into
manageable sections that initially should be approached individually.
When you feel comfortable with one section, move onto another. The
order in which you decide to approach the sections is not of any real
importance.
Bonne chance!
2
Rhythm
The French language is often described as very musical. The reason for
this is that in French there are no stress marks on words i.e. all syllables
are pronounced at the same intensity (volume). In addition, many final
consonants are liaised into the next word. The lack of stress marks
combined with liaisons is what gives French its rhythm: all of the words
flow together like music. In contrast, English words each have a stressed
syllable, which makes English sound comparatively choppy or staccato.
(I'm speaking purely from a linguistic point of view - this is not a
judgment about which language sounds "prettier.")
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Consonants
Common exceptions
Chaos - chaos
Chœur - heart
Choléra - cholera
Psychologie – psychology
th These letters are pronounced Thé - tea
as a hard “t” like the “t” in the Théorie - theory
English word table. Méthode - method
Enthousiasme – enthusiasm
gn • These letters are Champagne - champagne
normally pronounced like Enseigner – to teach
the Spanish “ň” or like Espagnol - Spanish
the “ny” in the English
word canyon.
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different syllables or
begin a word.
c • The letter “c” before “i” Cinq - five
and “e” is pronounced Centimetre - centimeter
like the English “s”.
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Final Consonants
Chat
Nord
Deux
Vingt
Vert verte
Anglais anglaise
Absent absente
However, there are many exceptions. The following general rules will
prove helpful.
3.
D,M, N, P, R, S, T, X are not usually pronounced at the end of a
word.
Common exceptions
• Many words borrowed from foreign languages e.g. tennis, stop,
clown
• Fils, mars, sud, août, autobus, ours, ouest, premier, hier, sur
4.
C, F, K, L, Q, Z are usually pronounced at the end of a word.
Common exceptions
Blanc, gentil, chez, riz
5.
B, J, G, V, W are rarely found at the end of words.
6
Liaison
E.g.
7
Accents
Apart from “ç” the only other letters which are accented in French are
vowels. Some accents change pronunciation and some do not affect the
sound at all.
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helpful to know
this as Enlgish
words which
share the same
ancestry
normally still
have the “s”.
cedilla ç Changes the Ça va
sound of “c” Façade
before “a”, “o” garçon
and “u” from a
hard “k” to a
softer “s”.
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Vowel Sounds
I feel that vowel sounds are the most difficult to explain in a written
guide to French pronunciation.
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and the first syllable
of “faisons”
“e” as in let e Belle
è Mère
ê Bête
“ew” as in pew u Menu
û bu
Euh! eu Bleu
Jeu
Dangereux
Deux
Adieu
“oo” as in who ou Où
où Nous
Toujours
Tourner
Jour
“oh” as in hello eau Au
au Beau
eau
sometimes
o gros
ô côte
“ee as in be i Lit
y Stylo
Midi
île
active
a a Madame
Maintenant
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Nasal Vowels
Faim
Train
Bain
Pain
Vin
Prince
Singe
Sympa
Moins
Certain
Chien
Brun
Lundi
Un
Dans
Enfant
Danse
Client
Mon
Bon
Simon
If the vowel which immediately follows is not a mute “e” the “m” or “n” is
part of the syllable of this vowel and therefore is not nasal.
e.g. ami, année
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