Phonology In The French Language
Table of Contents
Phonemic inventory
In conclusion
Cited sources
French phonology is also known as the French sounding system. French has its own pronunciation rules. These rules depend on the word’s nature, vowel/consonant relationship, vowel/consonant relationships, vowel/consonant combination, and consonant/vowel combinations. This paper examines the French language in its various soundings. The Parisian is the most well-known. Common phonological features of the French language include its nasal vowels and uvular/r/. With 37 sounds in French, the paper seeks to help readers and speakers of French understand and pronounce French phonetics.
Phonemic InventoryIn a language, the phonemic inventory is the list of distinct speech sounds. Each segment of the phonemic inventory for French is also divided. Below is a list with IPA transcription of the French phonemic inventory.
Front Close/i/
iFront Close Mid /e/
Near front: /ae/
Back Close
Close to mid-/o/
Close to /ou/
These are the French vowels that can be easily pronounced using the correct placement of your tongue. The phenome is also available for many French consonants, which improves the pronunciation. Consonants can be further subdivided to create semi-segments, which offer the best intonation.
Individuals with difficulties in French pronunciation can use the phenome inventory to help them sound better. It promotes better language understanding. It also helps to ensure that the message is correctly delivered by using the correct intonation.
One common structure of spoken French is the consonant–vowel (CV), syllable structure. According to Addadecker et.al. (2014) each French syllable has one vowel plus a consonant. A consonant alone is not allowed to form a syllable. In French, a consonant can be defined as a vowel that follows a consonant. This is summarized in Adda-Decker (2014), which states that a syllabic split falls before an intervocalic cononant.
Phonological process refers to sound development patterns. This allows learners to simplify speech when they grasp the language. There are three major processes that make up the French language: the liaison and elision. The liaison is the main phonological function in French.
The liaison in French is the pronunciation (latent consonant) of a word’s last consonant if it is followed by vowel. It is similar to the English’s external sandhi. Although it is not visible in written French, this type of phonologic agreement can be detected in spoken French. Silent consonants are usually permitted to use the liaison. Liaison can make it difficult to distinguish between the beginning and end of a word. The following example can be used: Ont (o(n), when followed by an article that starts with a vowel like ont-ills, pronounced [o(n] teels], then the consonant/t/ is pronounced in its preceding syllable.
Because some liaisons are voluntary, others must be established (Adda Decker, 2014). It becomes more difficult to identify the location of the liaison. The liaison is not required for some words. Different rules are used when determining what type of liaison to use. These rules have less to do with phonetics and more to do with linguistics as well as register.
Some permissible liaisons include liaison. The silent /s/ in the word you is an example. If the requirement of liaison occurs, the silent/s/ is not pronounced with an /s/. Instead, it is pronounced with a /z/ This is why the rule for the liaison can be best explained by the example of [voozah ley] in vous-allez.
The French language is unique because it differs from English in many ways. It is distinguished from many other languages by its different phonetic rules. Its phonology is also a major distinguishing factor.
Citing sources
Adda-Decker, M., Mareuil, P. B. D., Adda, G., & Lamel, L. (2014). Researching the syllabic structure of French radio interviews. ISCA Tutorial and Research Workshop, (ITRW), on Pronunciation Modelling and Lexicon Adaptation to Spoken Language Technology.
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