 Click on the image to go to the tutorial. |
There is a notion that people have
that pronouncing French is difficult. There is no direct and total
one-to-one correspondence between written language and spoken language
in French. Neither is there one in English, which is probably your
native language if you are reading this. You grew up with words like
'would' and 'shroud' and 'through' and 'cough'. These words have
different sounds for the same vowel combinations and the same consonant
combinations. Learners of English are plagued with having to memorize
these sorts of words one by one.
Learning How to Pronounce French is easier than English because, although English and French have vowel combinations and consonant
combinations which are not pronounced according to the spelling of the
word, in comparison, the deviation from spelling to pronunciation in
French is more simple, more rule-based than English. These pages
are designed to help any beginner understand these rules and apply them. |
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1. You will be able to pronounce French
words so that you will be understood when you communicate with speakers
of French. When a learner pronounces French using the English sound
system, there is a risk that the listener will not understand. As
you go through each page, you will be introduced to all the sounds
of French. The sounds of French do not always correspond directly
to the spelling of French. Learning How to Pronounce French is easier
than learning English pronunciation. |
2. You will be able to distinguish words
as you are listening to people speak in French. Most learners of
French think that native speakers speak too fast. All we hear is
an uninterrupted flow of sounds. What we don't realize is that when
we speak our first language, we also speak just as fast. We don't
separate all of our words with pauses. The exercises (Pratique) you
do on these pages will build your ability to distinguish sounds and words
as you listen to spoken French. |
