An Introduction to French Pronunciation

56 The Vowels in Detail
10.5 The Three Pairs of Mid-Vowels
In discussing each of the pairs /e, ε/, /ø, œ/ and /o, b/, we shall
need to distinguish (i) between stressed positions and unstressed
positions (see chapter 9) and (ii) between open and
closed syllables (see 8.4).
10.6 /e/ – High-Mid Front Unrounded;
/£/ – Low-Mid Front Unrounded
10.6.1 The main problem here is to know when to pronounce
/e/ and when to pronounce /ε/. As we shall see, there
is a tendency to pronounce /ε/ in closed syllables and /e/ in
open syllables.
10.6.2 In closed syllables, either stressed or unstressed, the
distinction between /e/ and /ε/ does not arise: the pronunciation,
whatever the spelling (e, è, ê, ai, ei, etc.), is /ε/ (which
may or may not be long – see 12.6–12.8), e.g.:
(i) stressed syllables: sec /sεk/, lettre /lεtr/, sèche /sεʃ/, (il )
achète /aʃεt/, fête /fεt/, (vous) faites /fεt/, pleine /plεn/, lèvre
/lε:vr/, chaise /ʃε:z/, beige /bε:ʒ/;
(ii) unstressed syllables: festival /fεstival/, question /kεstjf/,
esprit /εspri/, serpent /sεrpe/, (il) lèvera /lεvra/, (il ) aimera
/εmra/. This applies even when the spelling is é, e.g. événement
/evεnme/, sécheresse /sεʃrεs/, pécheresse /pεʃrεs/ (though
/seʃrεs/, /peʃrεs/ are also possible). Note however that élever
/elve/ and its derivatives élevage /elva:ʒ/, etc., normally have
/e/. See also 10.6.5 (iv).
Note that, though j’ai is /ʒe/, ai-je must, in accordance with
the above rule, have the vowel /ε/, e.g. Quels droits ai-je? /kεl
drwa ε:ʒ/.
10.6.3 In open stressed syllables, the pronunciation is either
/e/ or /ε/, depending on the word.