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French I - Pronunciation

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Study GuideFrench I–Pronunciation1.French Accents1. What Are Accents in French?In French,accent marksare symbols placed above certain letters. They can:•change thesound of a letter•change themeaning of a word•show that a letter existed inolder forms of French•or sometimes haveno noticeable effect on pronunciationAccents are usedonly on vowelsandunder the letter c.The main accents in French are:•Accent aigu (é)•Accent grave (è, à, ù)•Accent circonflexe (â, ê, î, ô, û)•Cédille (ç)•Tréma (ë, ï, ü)2. Accent Aigu (é)Theaccent aiguappearsonly on the letter e.PronunciationIt makes the“ay” sound, like the vowel in“day.”Example:•école—school•été—summerHistorical Note

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Study GuideSometimesé replaced an old letter “s”in French words.Example:•étranger—strangerIf you imagine themissing “s,”the meaning may become clearer.3. Accent Grave (à, è, ù)Theaccent gravecan appear ona, e, or u.On èIt changes the pronunciation to an“eh” sound, like thee in “get.”Example:•père—father•très—veryOn à or ùIt usuallydoes not change the sound, but helpsdistinguish between words.Examples:•a—has•à—to, at•ou—or•où—where4. Accent Circonflexe (â, ê, î, ô, û)Theaccent circonflexe(ˆ) can appear onany vowel.PronunciationIt usuallydoes not change the pronunciationsignificantly.Historical RoleLike the accent aigu, it oftenreplaces an old “s”in French.

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Study GuideExample:•forêt—forest(from older formforest)Other examples:•hôpital—hospital•pâte—paste/dough5. Cédille (ç)Thecédilleis placedunder the letter c.PurposeIt changes thec sound to a soft “s” soundbeforea, o, or u.Example:•ça—that•garçon—boy•leçon—lessonWithout the cedilla, thec would sound like “k.”6. Tréma (ë, ï, ü)Thetrémais placed on thesecond vowelwhen two vowels appear together.PurposeIt shows thateach vowel must be pronounced separately.Example:•Noël—ChristmasPronounced:no-ELAnother example:•naïf—naive

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Study GuideKey TakeawayFrench accents can:✓change pronunciation✓distinguish between words✓show historical spelling✓indicate how vowels should be pronouncedMain AccentsAccentExampleFunctionAccent aigu (é)écolemakes “ay” soundAccent grave (è, à, ù)pèrechanges sound or meaningAccent circonflexe (ˆ)forêtoften replaces old “s”Cédille (ç)garçonsoft “s” soundTréma (ë, ï, ü)Noëlseparates vowel sounds2.French Vowels1. Understanding French VowelsFrench vowels can sometimeshave more than one pronunciation. Their sound depends on:•accent marks•letter combinations•position in the word•surrounding lettersBecause of these factors, the same vowel may sounddifferent in different words. There are alsoexceptions, so a dictionary is helpful when pronunciation is uncertain.

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Study GuideWhen vowels appeartogether in combinations, they may createnew sounds that do not exist inEnglish.2. The Sound ofaLetters:a, à, âPronunciation

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Study GuideThey produce an“ah” sound, similar to thea in “father.”Example:•la•pâte3. The Sound ofe(Closed Sound)Certain forms ofeproduce an“ay” sound, similar to thea in “day.”This occurs with:•é•final-er•final-ez•someaiandetcombinationsExample:•parler•allez4. The Sound ofe(Neutral Sound)Sometimeseis pronounced like a short“uh”sound.This often happens:•inone-syllable words•in themiddle of a word followed by one consonantExample sound:•similar to thee in “the.”5. The Sound ofè / ê / eThese letters produce an“eh” sound, like thee in “get.”

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Study GuideCommon patterns include:•è•ê•et•ei•ai•e followed by two consonantsExample:•très•fête6. The Sound ofi, î, y, uiThese produce the“ee” sound, like thei in “machine.”Examples:•ici•fini7. The Sound ofill or ilWhenillorilfollows a vowel, it produces a“y” sound.Example:•similar toy in “you.”Example word:•fille8. The Sound ofoClosed “o” sound

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Study GuideLetters or combinations:•oat the end of a word•ô•au•eauPronounced like theo in “go.”Example:•eau•châteauOpen “o” soundWheno is followed by a pronounced consonant(other than s), it produces a more open sound.Example:•similar to theo in “love.”9. The Sound ofouLetters:ou, où, oûPronounced“oo”like theoo in “boot.”Example:•vous•où10. The Sound ofoy / oiThese combinations produce a“wah” sound.Example:•similar to thewa in “watch.”
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Document Details

University
Texas A&M University
Course
French I
Subject
World Languages

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