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French I - Pronunciation

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    Study Guide French I – Pronunciation 1. French Accents 1. What Are Accents in French? In French, accent marks are symbols placed above certain letters. They can: • change the sound of a letter • change the meaning of a word • show that a letter existed in older forms of French • or sometimes have no noticeable effect on pronunciation Accents are used only on vowels and under 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) The accent aigu appears only on the letter e . Pronunciation It makes the “ay” sound , like the vowel in “day.” Example: • école — school • été — summer Historical Note

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    Study Guide Sometimes é replaced an old letter “s” in French words. Example: • étranger — stranger If you imagine the missing “s,” the meaning may become clearer. 3. Accent Grave (à, è, ù) The accent grave can appear on a, e, or u . On è It changes the pronunciation to an “eh” sound , like the e in “get.” Example: • père — father • très — very On à or ù It usually does not change the sound , but helps distinguish between words . Examples: • a — has • à — to, at • ou — or • où — where 4. Accent Circonflexe (â, ê, î, ô, û) The accent circonflexe (ˆ) can appear on any vowel . Pronunciation It usually does not change the pronunciation significantly. Historical Role Like the accent aigu, it often replaces an old “s” in French.

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    Study Guide Example: • forêt — forest (from older form forest ) Other examples: • hôpital — hospital • pâte — paste/dough 5. Cédille (ç) The cédille is placed under the letter c . Purpose It changes the c sound to a soft “s” sound before a, o, or u . Example: • ça — that • garçon — boy • leçon — lesson Without the cedilla, the c would sound like “k.” 6. Tréma (ë, ï, ü) The tréma is placed on the second vowel when two vowels appear together. Purpose It shows that each vowel must be pronounced separately . Example: • Noël — Christmas Pronounced: no - EL Another example: • naïf — naive

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    Study Guide Key Takeaway French accents can: ✓ change pronunciation ✓ distinguish between words ✓ show historical spelling ✓ indicate how vowels should be pronounced Main Accents Accent Example Function Accent aigu (é) école makes “ay” sound Accent grave (è, à, ù) père changes sound or meaning Accent circonflexe (ˆ) forêt often replaces old “s” Cédille (ç) garçon soft “s” sound Tréma (ë, ï, ü) Noël separates vowel sounds 2. French Vowels 1. Understanding French Vowels French vowels can sometimes have more than one pronunciation . Their sound depends on: • accent marks • letter combinations • position in the word • surrounding letters Because of these factors, the same vowel may sound different in different words . There are also exceptions , so a dictionary is helpful when pronunciation is uncertain.

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    Study Guide When vowels appear together in combinations , they may create new sounds that do not exist in English . 2. The Sound of a Letters: a, à, â Pronunciation

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    Study Guide They produce an “ah” sound , similar to the a in “father.” Example: • la • pâte 3. The Sound of e (Closed Sound) Certain forms of e produce an “ay” sound , similar to the a in “day.” This occurs with: • é • final - er • final - ez • some ai and et combinations Example: • parler • allez 4. The Sound of e (Neutral Sound) Sometimes e is pronounced like a short “uh” sound. This often happens: • in one - syllable words • in the middle of a word followed by one consonant Example sound: • similar to the e in “the.” 5. The Sound of è / ê / e These letters produce an “eh” sound , like the e in “get.”

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    Study Guide Common patterns include: • è • ê • et • ei • ai • e followed by two consonants Example: • très • fête 6. The Sound of i, î, y, ui These produce the “ee” sound , like the i in “machine.” Examples: • ici • fini 7. The Sound of ill or il When ill or il follows a vowel, it produces a “y” sound . Example: • similar to y in “you.” Example word: • fille 8. The Sound of o Closed “o” sound

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    Study Guide Letters or combinations: • o at the end of a word • ô • au • eau Pronounced like the o in “go.” Example: • eau • château Open “o” sound When o is followed by a pronounced consonant (other than s), it produces a more open sound. Example: • similar to the o in “love.” 9. The Sound of ou Letters: ou, où, oû Pronounced “oo” like the oo in “boot.” Example: • vous • où 10. The Sound of oy / oi These combinations produce a “wah” sound . Example: • similar to the wa in “watch.”

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