An Introduction to French Pronunciation

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92 Vowel Length 12.8 Is Vowel Length Ever Phonemic in French? 12.8.1 If the indications given above are followed consistently, the results in respect of vowel length will always be acceptable. There are, however, certain words in which an alternative pronunciation is possible. More specifically, certain words that, according to rule 5 (12.7), would have a short vowel may also be pronounced with a long vowel, e.g. maître /mεtr/ or /mε:tr/. 12.8.2 This feature affects exclusively (or almost exclusively – see 12.8.3) the vowel /ε/, and, of course, only when it is in a closed syllable and takes a main stress. Some speakers certainly do, at least on occasion, make a distinction between, say, mettre /mεtr/ and maître /mε:tr/. In so far as such a distinction does exist, one has to recognize that it is phonemic, i.e. that /ε/ and /ε:/ count as separate phonemes. The number of pairs in which it even can occur is very small, and may well be limited to the following: /ε/ /ε:/ belle /bεl/ bêle /bε:l/ bette /bεt/ bête /bε:t/ elle /εl/ aile /ε:l/ faite /fεt/ fête /fε:t/ laide /lεd/ l’aide /lε:d/ lettre /lεtr/ l’être /lε:tr/ mettre /mεtr/ maître /mε:tr/ saine /sεn/ scène, Seine /sε:n/ tette /tεt/ tête /tε:t/ It must be pointed out, however, that the majority of French speakers do not observe the distinction and, in so far as it exists at all, it tends to be characteristic of the speech of the older generation (it is, says Henriette Walter, 1977: 43, ‘d’autant moins vivant que le sujet est plus jeune’). Furthermore, few (if any) speakers observe it in all the above pairs.
Vowel Length 93 In the circumstances, there is no need whatsoever for foreigners to make any effort to observe the distinction. 12.8.3 It is sometimes claimed that a similar distinction exists between ( je, il ) tousse /tus/ and the pronoun tous /tu:s/. The pronunciation tous [tu:s] can be heard when the word is subject to emphatic stress, but this is a feature of little significance that can be safely ignored. 12.9 Other Possible Pronunciations Other departures from the indications given under rules 4 and 5 above may well be heard in French as spoken by educated Parisians, such as a short vowel before /v/ or /ʒ/ (e.g. veuve /vœv/, rouge /ruʒ/) or a long vowel before the voiced stops /b/, /d / and /g/ or voiced clusters such as /bl/, e.g. robe /rb:b/, vide /vi:d/, vogue /vb:g/, table /ta:bl/, but these too can safely be ignored and indeed, to be on the safe side, are best not imitated.
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An Introduction to French Pronuncia
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An Introduction to French Pronuncia
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Contents Preface x 1 General Consid
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Contents vii 8.4 Closed and Open Sy
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Contents ix 16.1 The Varieties of F
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General Considerations 1 1 General
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General Considerations 3 material.
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General Considerations 5 standard w
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General Considerations 7 to pronoun
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General Considerations 9 Transcript
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General Considerations 11 We are th
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2 The Production of Speech 13 The P
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Lips T T A Tip T = Teeth A = Alveol
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The Production of Speech 17 (iii) t
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3 The Articulation of French 19 The
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4 The Vowel Phonemes 4.1 Principles
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4.5 Orality or Nasality The Vowel P
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The Vowel Phonemes 25 However, the
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5 5.1 General The Semi-Consonants T
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6 The Consonant Phonemes 29 The Con
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6.4 Presence or Absence of Voice Th
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The Consonant Phonemes 33 discussed
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The Consonant Phonemes 35 IPA symbo
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The Rhythmic Group 37 shall call
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The Rhythmic Group 39 froid chez vo
Page 51 and 52: 8 The Syllable 8.1 Introduction The
Page 53 and 54: The Syllable 43 (v) A cluster consi
Page 55 and 56: 9 Stress 9.1 Normal Stress Stress 4
Page 57 and 58: Stress 47 He’s fantastically clev
Page 59 and 60: Stress 49 word is sometimes stresse
Page 61 and 62: Stress 51 9.5.4 An utterance such a
Page 63 and 64: 10 10.1 Introduction The Vowels in
Page 65 and 66: The Vowels in Detail 55 to attempt
Page 67 and 68: The Vowels in Detail 57 The pronunc
Page 69 and 70: The Vowels in Detail 59 contrasted
Page 71 and 72: The Vowels in Detail 61 - to substi
Page 73 and 74: The Vowels in Detail 63 jeudi /ʒø
Page 75 and 76: The Vowels in Detail 65 English wor
Page 77 and 78: The Vowels in Detail 67 (iii) in th
Page 79 and 80: The Vowels in Detail 69 (iii) (with
Page 81 and 82: The Vowels in Detail 71 The only ci
Page 83 and 84: The Vowels in Detail 73 /e/ is alwa
Page 85 and 86: The Vowels in Detail 75 10.12.3 The
Page 87 and 88: Mute e 77 when unstressed. This see
Page 89 and 90: Mute e 79 /mc kfpre ty/, ne dites p
Page 91 and 92: Mute e 81 ‘rules’ given below i
Page 93 and 94: Mute e 83 as have actually been hea
Page 95 and 96: Mute e 85 than one word may in cert
Page 97 and 98: Mute e 87 (ii) before onze, onzièm
Page 99 and 100: Vowel Length 89 ‘long’. In real
Page 101: 12.6 Rule 4 Vowel Length 91 Other v
Page 105 and 106: The Semi-Consonants in Detail 95 co
Page 107 and 108: The Semi-Consonants in Detail 97 th
Page 109 and 110: The Semi-Consonants in Detail 99 13
Page 111 and 112: The Consonants in Detail: (I) Stops
Page 113 and 114: 14.4 Point of Articulation The Cons
Page 115 and 116: The Consonants in Detail: (I) Stops
Page 117 and 118: The Consonants in Detail: (II) Fric
Page 119 and 120: 16 The Consonants in Detail: (III)
Page 121 and 122: The Consonants in Detail: (III) /r/
Page 127 and 128: 17 Gemination Gemination 117 17.1 L
Page 129 and 130: Gemination 119 with either a simple
Page 131 and 132: Gemination 121 (i) some words havin
Page 133 and 134: Consonantal Assimilation 123 18.1.3
Page 135 and 136: Consonantal Assimilation 125 necess
Page 137 and 138: Consonantal Assimilation 127 18.3.4
Page 140 and 141: 19 19.1 Origins Liaison Liaison 129
Page 142 and 143: 19.2 The Problem Liaison 131 19.2.1
Page 144 and 145: Liaison 133 (i) words ending in -t,
Page 146 and 147: Liaison 135 in such expressions as
Page 148 and 149: Liaison 137 va/. (The reason why th
Page 150 and 151: Liaison 139 after an imperative, e.
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Liaison 141 19.6.2 The following, t
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Liaison 143 19.7.4 Between a verb (
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20 Intonation 20.1 Introduction Int
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Intonation 147 Foremost among such
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Intonation 149 But if no syllable (
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20.4 Yes-No Questions Intonation 15
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Dans quelle rue | l’avez-vous ach
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20.7 Level Intonation Intonation 15
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References and Further Reading 157
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160 Index Allemagne 113 allemand 79
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162 Index cent 25, 33, 73, 129, 137
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164 Index différentes 137 différe
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166 Index filtre 91 fini 90 finir 1
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168 Index intention 42 iode 98 iodi
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170 Index mourait 120 mourir 120 mo
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172 Index plâtre 68 plein 25, 42,
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174 Index sciure 98 se 79, 82 sec 5
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176 Index vaciller 95 vague 102 vai
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An Introduction to French Pronunciation

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