An Introduction to French Pronunciation

The Consonants in Detail: (II) Fricatives 107
case of the voiced stops (see 14.3.3), this is so strong a feature
of French pronunciation that the voicing may even be prolonged
after the articulation of a final consonant has ceased,
with the result that the listener may sometimes detect a fleeting
[c]-sound, e.g. /ro:z c /, /larʒ c /.)
15.3 Point of Articulation
15.3.1 /f/, /v/
In both French and English, /f/ and /v/ are labio-dental
fricatives, i.e. they are pronounced by forcing the air between
the top teeth and the lower lip. Apart from the fact that, as
with all consonants, the French varieties are pronounced with
greater tension and energy than their English equivalents, there
is no significant difference between the ways in which these
consonants are pronounced in the two languages.
15.3.2 /s/ and /z/
Again, apart from the greater tension and energy characterizing
the French varieties, there is little difference between the
ways in which these phonemes are articulated in French and
in English. In both languages, the point of articulation at
which the audible friction occurs is between the tip or blade
of the tongue and the alveoli. There is, however, a slight
difference in that the tongue is generally somewhat flatter in
the case of French than in the case of English. This effect
can be achieved by positioning the tip of the tongue behind
the lower teeth (and touching them), as is frequently the case
with native-speakers in French.
15.3.3 /ʃ/, /ʒ/
These are variously known as post-alveolar, pre-palatal,
alveo-palatal or palato-alveolar fricatives, a range of terms
all of which serve to indicate that the point of articulation is
between the blade of the tongue and the region of the roof of
the mouth where the alveoli and the palate meet. If anything,