Basic Principles of French Pronunciation
French syllabification
syllable = consonant sound + vowel sound = open syllabification
French Rhythm and stress (accent)
 | basic unit of rhythm = syllable |
| rhythmical group = group of words determined by sense |
| stress = extra length of time spent in pronouncing final syllable of a rythmica1 group |
| all syllables in rhythmical group are pronounced evenly except final, which is stressed |
Sounds
| vowel: uninterrupted sound |
| consonant: interrupted or impeded sound, or passage of
air without sound |
Normal French tongue position
| point against lower tooth |
| convex (hump) |
Description of articulation
vowel:
| tongue (hump) position |
| lip position |
| mouth opening |
| resonance: nasal-oral |
consonants:
| point of articulation
 | lips (labial) |
| teeth (dental) |
| alveoli (alveolar): gums of upper teeth |
| palate (palatal). hard palate (front and middle roof of mouth) |
| velum (velar), soft palate (rear roof of mouth) |
|
| manner of articulation
| movement -- constriction: fricatives -- stops |
| nasal -- oral |
| voiced -- unvoiced |
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Last Update: September 10, 1998
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