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University of management & Technology

Article Topic: Consonants & Vowels in

French Language

Program: MPhil Applied Linguistics, Batch VIII

Course title: Phonetics and Phonology

Presented to: Sir Nazir Malik

Presented by: Hina Javaid 100884006

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Sr.no Topic Pg.no

1 Abstract 1

2 Introduction 2

3 Rationale of the topic 3

4 Description of French alphabets 4

5 Description of French consonants 5

6 The French articles 6

7 French phonology

Stress: Tonic Accent L accent tonique

Intonation

Final consonants

Liaison

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9

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10

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8 Transcription of the quotes 11

9 References: 12

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Topic:

Description of French alphabets,

French consonants, Vowels &

phonology

And

Transcription of quotations in

French

Abstract:

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Learning a foreign language is a skill. This skill becomes challenging when the object language is

difficult, versatile and competent. French language is the accurate example gratia of such a

language of romance and language of galore. Being soft, exuberant and fascinating language, it

mesmerizes the folk all around the world to surpass the glamour of this language.

This article is the same attempt at the very beginning level. It describes the French alphabets

and especially French consonants in detail with their English counterparts. It is tried to

elaborate French phonology to some extent, which obviously is not sufficient as French is a

complete package of a standard language. Along with the description, side-by-side comparison

and connection is stretched to establish an affinity between English and French.

Overall, this article is a first jump into the cavernous ocean of French language.

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Introduction:

La langue française or French is a “Romance language”, descendant of Latin and is intimately

related to Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian. It is the native tongue of over 87 million

people, official language of 29 countries and has an additional 68 million non-native speakers. It

is one of the three working languages of the European Commission along with English and

German. Despite of having 75 recognized languages prevailed in France, French is the first

obligatory and mandatory language of France. From 17th century to 20th century, French was

the foremost diplomatic language of international relations but after that this role was taken

over by English. French now sustains its status of diplomatic language proudly. French is the

language of sage. It’s erudite, cultured and rich in all of its aspects. Benjamin Franklin rightly

extolled the glory of France in such a way:

Chaque homme a deux nations et un d'entre eux est la France

Meaning: Every man has two nations and one of them is France

French-speaking people have made incursions upon the British Isles many times in the past,

most noticeably in the Norman Invasion of 1066. For this reason, although English is a Germanic

language, at least a third of the English lexicon is derived from French and 40% vocabulary of

English language is based on French origin.

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Rationale of the topic:

French is considered and used as a language of diplomacy. It is soft, romance and naïve in

nature. My intention in getting intimate with French alphabets and language lounge in these

facts, which I encountered while surfing for languages and their content;

It is the second most taught language in the world after English.

French words are broadly used in every dialect of most of the languages.

40% of English words (mainly multisyllabic) are loaned from French like Amateur,

Bayonet, Boulevard, cuisine homage, denim, prude, Cliché, Tour de stade, Repertoire,

Ricochet, Fiance (disambiguation), Entrepreneur, Façade, Voyeurism and a lot of others

too.

Intimacy with French language can boost up test score 100% on SAT.

Researches shows that studying French enhanced score on Math as compared to those

who studied math for many years.

To learn other languages, English, Spanish even Arabic etc; French sets a foundation

springboard to study them.

French is spoken in five continents and is used officially in 29 countries and 125 million

people speak it. Moreover, it is the official language of international agencies like United

Nations, NATO, UNESCO, International Red Cross and International Olympic Committee.

Overall, French is the practical of life and French means global communication.

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Description of French alphabets:

The French alphabets are based on 26 Roman of Latin alphabets. The vowels include five

diacritics and two orthographic ligatures

character Symbols

(IPA

transcription)

pronunciation

a /a/ ah

b /be/ Bay

c /se/ Say

d /de/ Day

e /ə/ Euh

f /ɛf/ Eff

g /ʒɜ/ Jhay

h /aʃ/ Ash

i /i/ Ee

j /ʒi/ Zhee

k /ka/ Kah

l /ɛl/ El

m /ɛm/ emm

Character Symbol

(IPA

transcription)

pronunciation

n /ɛn/ Enn

o /o/ Oh

p /pe/ Pay

q /ky/ Ku

r /ɛʀ/ Air

s /ɛs/ Ess

t /te/ Tay

u /y/ Oo

v /ve/ Vay

w /dubləve/ dubl-vay

x /iks/ Eeks

y /igrɛk/ ee-grehk

z /zɛd/ zedh

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Detailed description of French consonants with approximate sound in English

and examples:

French consonant/sound approximate sound in English translation in French

b boat bateau

c centre centre

d date date

f fell est tombé

g gun fusil

h Aspirated h is used in French

hero

héros

j measure mesure

k / q kite cerf-volant

l lie mensonge

m man, honey home, miel

n new nouveau

p pair paire

r run dirigé

s servant domestique

t train train

v victory victoire

x socks Chaussettes, expansion

z zebra zèbre

sch, shame honte

ni lamb agneau

ch scheme projet

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The French articles:

In French, articles are almost required with all common nouns. They are inflected to agree in

on gender and numbers. French has 3 articles:

1. Definite ‘la/le’

2. Indefinite ‘une/un’

3. partitive ‘du/de la’

Definite ‘the’ or ‘la’:

The French definite article is used with a noun referring to a specific item in the cases where

both the speaker and audience know the item. It is also used with mass nouns and plural nouns

with generic interpretation, and with abstract nouns.for example: I want to learn the French or

je veux apprendre le français

Forms of definite la:

singular plural

before consonant before vowel or mute h1

masculine le2 l' les2

feminine la

The indefinite article ‘une/un’ or ‘a/an’:

The French article is similar to the English indefinite article a/an. The French indefinite article is

used with a noun referring to a non-specific item, or to a specific item when the speaker and

audience do not both know what the item is.

Forms of indefinite article une/un

singular plural

masculine un des

feminine une

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The partitive article ‘du/de la’ or ‘some’:

It is similar to ‘some’ and is used to indicate an indefinite portion of something uncountable, or

an indefinite number of something countable. Forms of the partitive article:

singular plural

before consonant before vowel or mute h1

masculine du de l' des

feminine de la

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French phonology

Voiced stops /b d ɡ/ are typically produced fully voiced throughout.

Voiceless stops /p t k/ are unaspirated.

Nasals: The velar nasal /ŋ/ can occur in final position in borrowed (usually English)

words: parking, campin, and swing. The palatal nasal /ɲ/ can occur in word initial

position (e.g. gnon), but it is most frequently found in intervocalic, onset position or

word-finally (e.g. montagne).

Fricatives: French has three pairs of homorganic fricatives distinguished by voicing,

o labiodental /f/~/v/

o Dental /s/~/z/ like the plosives /t/~/d/, and the nasal /n/.

o palato-alveolar /ʃ/~/ʒ/

French has one uvula r or voiced uvular fricative as in [ʁu] roue, "wheel".

o Vowels are lengthened before this segment.

o It can be reduced to an approximant, particularly in final position (e.g. fort) or

reduced to zero in some word-final positions.

o For some speakers, a uvular trill is also common, and an apical trill [r] occurs in

some dialects.

Lateral and central approximants: The lateral approximant /l/ is unvelarised in both

onset (lire) and coda position (il).

o In the onset, the central approximants [w], [ɥ], and [j] each correspond to a high

vowel, /u/, /y/, and /i/ respectively.

o There are a few minimal pairs where the approximant and corresponding vowel

contrast, but there are also many cases where they are in free variation.

Contrasts between /j/ and /i/ occur in final position as in /pɛj/ paye, "pay", vs.

/pɛi/ pays, "country".

Stress: Tonic Accent - L’accent tonique

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In English, certain syllables are stressed more than others but in French; every syllable is evenly

stressed and pronounced. French is a syllable-timed language, so equal emphasis is given to

each syllable as compared to stress-rhythm language, English. For example

English stressed word French counterpart

photography Photographie

authority autorité

nationality Nationalité

passion passion

education éducation

Intonation

Intonation in French is slightly different from English. In general, the intonation rises only for a

yes/no question, and the rest of the time, the intonation falls. French intonation starts at a

higher pitch and falls continuously throughout the sentence, whereas in English, the stressed

syllable has a higher pitch that what precedes and follows it.

Sentence Type English Intonation French Intonation

Yes/No Question Are you leaving? 2 - 3 Est-ce que vous partez? 2 - 3

Information

Question

Where are you

going?

2 - 3 - 1 Où est-ce que vous

allez?

4 - 2 – 1

Imperative Do it. / Don't do

it.

(2) - 3 - 1 Fais-le. / Ne le fais pas. 4 - 2 - 1

Exclamation What a surprise! 2 - 3 - 1 Quelle surprise! 4 - 2 – 1

Declarative I bought a dress. 2 - 3 - 1 J'ai acheté une robe. 3 - 2 - 1

Final consonants:

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In French, certain consonants are silent when they are the final letter of a word. Final single

consonants, in particular s, x, z, t, d, n, g and m, are normally silent. A consonant is considered

"final" when no vowel follows it even if one or more consonants follow it.

The letters p (as in 'coup'), s (as in 'héros'), t (as in 'chat'), d (as in 'marchand),

and x (as in 'paresseux'), are never pronounced at the end of a word.

The final letters c, f, k, q and l, however, are normally pronounced.

The final r is usually silent when it follows an e in a word of two or more

syllables, but is pronounced in other cases.

The t is pronounced when it follows a c. for example the s in les amants or vous

avez; some are optional, depending on dialect and register.

The letter h can be aspirated, (h aspiré), or not aspirated, (h non aspiré),

depending on which language the word was borrowed from.

o For example: the word héros, (hero) has an aspirated h, because when the

definite article le is placed before it, the result is le héros, and both words must

be pronounced separately. However, the feminine form of héros, héroïne is a

non-aspirated h. Therefore when the definite article in front of it, it becomes

l'héroïne, and is pronounced as one word.

Liaison:

French pronunciation follows strict rules based on spelling, but French spelling is often based more on

history than phonology. Liaison is the pronunciation of a latent word-final consonant immediately

before a following vowel sound. When the following word begins with a vowel, however, a

silent consonant may once again be pronounced, to provide a liaison or "link" between the two

words. For example the first s in deux cents euros or euros irlandais; and some are forbidden,

for example the s in beaucoup d'hommes aiment. The t of et is never pronounced and the

silent final consonant of a noun is only pronounced in the plural and in set phrases like pied-à-

terre.

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Transcription of the quotes of a French absurdist and philosopher, Albert

Camus:

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

' Dans la profondeur d'hiver, j'ai finalement appris que dans moi là posent un été

invincible.'

"There are places where the mind dies so that a truth which is its very denial may be born." ' Il y a des endroits où l'esprit meurt pour qu'une vérité qui est sa même

dénégation puisse être née.'

"At the heart of all beauty lies something inhuman, and these hills, the softness of the sky, the outline of

these trees at this very minute lose the illusory meaning with which we had clothed them, henceforth

more remote than a lost paradise... that denseness and that strangeness of the world is absurd."

' Au coeur de tous les mensonges de beauté quelque chose d'inhumain et ces

collines, la douceur du ciel, le contour de ces arbres à cette même minute perdent

le sens illusoire avec lequel nous les avions habillés, désormais plus lointain qu'un

paradis perdu ... que la densité et que la singularité du monde est absurde.'

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Introduction:

The second-most studied foreign language in the world after English is French. Being an official;

language in 29 countries, it has got the status of language of international agencies. It is one of

the three working languages of the European Commission along with English and German

le français est la langue de roman. c'est la langue molle et tout aussi insistée.

French is the language of romance. It is soft and equally stressed language. These qualities of

French language are inspiring people to learn it for their own interest, utility and enjoyment.

English speakers, native or non-native, have interaction with this language little or more.

Almost 40% loan words are used in English language. French words for example the word: alma

matre, coup-dete, ah-hoc, ad interim, affair de ameur, debacle, intoto, en rapport, modus

operandi, exemple gratia, beau monde, magnum opus, pro tempore, visa verse, vis-à-vis, vide,

are most often used in English language also.

Description of French vowels:

A, o, and u are sometimes called hard vowels and e and i are soft vowels, because certain consonants (c,

g, s) have a "hard" and a "soft" pronunciation, depending on which vowel follows.

Long Vowels Short Vowels Similar English

[a] [ə] not - nut

[i] ---- sheep

[e] [ɛ] wait – wet

[o] [ɔ] coat - caught

[u] ---- moon

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Words in Contrast

[a] - [ə] rapporter reporter

[e] - [ə] des mains demain

[e] - [ɛ] pré près

[o] - [ɔ] paume pomme

Unrounded Rounded

[i] [y] [e] [ø]

[ɛ] [œ]

Semi-Vowels

Semi-vowels can also be called glides or approximants.

IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling

[w] w fois, oui, Louis oi, ou

[ɥ] ew-ee lui, suisse ui

[j] yuh oreille, Mireille ill, y

Words in contrast

[wa] - [a] loi la

[ɥ] - [y] lui Lu

[ej] - [e] pareil paré

[aj] - [a] bail bas

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Nasal Vowels

Vowels followed by M or N are usually nasal. A nasal vowel is a sound made by expelling air through the

mouth and nose without obstruction of the lips, tongue, or throat. Nasal pronunciation can be very

different from the normal pronunciation of the same vowels.

IPA Phonetic spelling Sample words General spelling

] awn gant, banc, dent en, em, an, am, aon, aen

[ɛ] ahn pain, vin, linge in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um,

en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, éen

] uhn brun, lundi, parfum un

] ohn rond, ongle, front on, om

Words in Contrast

Nasal Vowel Nasal Consonant

Franc franche

brun brune

indien indienne

bon bonne

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French phonology of vowel:

Most French vowels are pronounced further forward in the mouth than their English

counterparts.

The tongue must remain tensed throughout the pronunciation of the vowel.

French vowels do not diphthong. In English, vowels tend to be followed by a y sound

(after a, e, or i) or a w sound (after o or u). In French, this is not the case - the vowel

sound remains constant: it does not change into a y or w sound. Thus the French vowel is

a "purer" sound than the English vowel.

Rules for French vowels:

1. In closed syllable words, CVC, the vowels are longer as compared to open syllable

words.

2. In stressed open syllables, only [ø] is possible. In stressed, closed syllables, only [œ] is

possible, unless the syllable ends in [t], [tR], or [z] - in which case, [ø] can occur.

3. In French, no consonant follows [e] and it appears in open syllables only. In closed

syllables, [ɛ] is used; however, [ɛ] can also be found in open syllables. (This is a major

difference with English as [ɛ] can never be found in open syllables.)

4. [o] Always occurs in stressed open syllables, and [ɔ] occurs in stressed closed syllables.

Nevertheless, [o] can also occur in stressed closed syllables, depending on the spelling

of the word: when the letter o is followed by [m], [n], [z]; when the letters au are not

followed by [R]; and by the letter ô.

5. Words ending in -eil or -eille are pronounced [ej], while words ending in -ail or -aille are

pronounced [aj].

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Diacritics

In French language five types of diacritic marks are used; the acute ( ´ ), grave ( ` ), and

circumflex ( ˆ ) accents, the diaeresis (French: tréma) ( ¨ ), and the cedilla ( ¸ ). It is noteworthy

that these diacritics have no impact on the primary alphabetical order.

A circumflex (diacritic) â ê î ô û is applied to all vowels. This diacritic effects the

pronunciation of a, e and o but not of I and u. it is used to show the presence of

historical letter s which is now mute and silent. Its function is to distinguish

homophones also like jeûne [ʒøn] vs. jeune [ʒœn]) or du ("of the") vs. dû (past participle

of devoir "to have to do something.

French accent is only applied to e. it has acute accent é and grave accent à è ù

A tréma (French for diaerasis, two dots on top to make the hiatus, two adjacent vowels,

not separated by a consonant or pause and not merged into a diphthong)is put on

vowels: ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ . It indicates that a vowel is to be pronounced separately from the

preceding one: naïve, Noël. The diaeresis on u appears only in the biblical proper names

Archélaüs, Capharnaüm, Emmaüs, Ésaü and Saül and diaeresis on y only occurs in some

proper names and in modern editions of old French texts.

Cedilla (ç): the c cedilla (ç) softens the otherwise hard /k/ sound to /s/ before the vowels

a, o or u, for example ça /sa/. C cedilla is never used before the vowels e or i since these

two vowels always produce a soft /s/ sound (ce, ci).

In addition to these diacritics, a tilde diacritical mark ( ˜ ) is used on /n/ only with the

well-known Spanish names like Cañon.

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Differences between French and English vowels:

Accent:

There are four French accents for vowels. It is essential to put accents in their proper places in French

language otherwise an incorrect or missing accent would be considered a spelling mistake which must

not be overlooked. English puts accent on words of foreign origin only.

Pronunciation of vowels

Pronunciation of French vowels is mainly different from the English vowels. French being an accented

language puts grave accent only on à è ù and acute accent on e.

The effect of the Great Vowel Shift may be seen very clearly in the English names of many of the letters

of the alphabet. A, B, C and D are pronounced /eɪ, bi:, si:, di:/ in today's English, but in contemporary

French they are /a, be, se, de/. The French names (from which the English names are derived) preserve

the English vowels from before the Great Vowel Shift. By contrast, the names of F, L, M, N and S (/ɛf, ɛl,

ɛm, ɛn, ɛs/) remain the same in both languages, because "short" vowels were unaffected by the Shift.

Transcription of Alexander Pope: An essay on man, IV, HONOUR

Honor and shame from no condition rise.

Act well your part: there all the honor lies

Transcription: honneur

L'honneur et la honte d'aucune augmentation de condition.

Acte bien votre partie : là tous les mensonges d'honneur.

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_phonology

http://www.frenchlanguageguide.com/french/pronunciation/difficult-consonants.asp

http://www.frenchlanguageguide.com/french/pronunciation/vowels.asp

http://www.jump-gate.com/languages/french/french1.html

http://www.ielanguages.com/frenchphonetics.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_%28linguistics%29

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