French Language Pronunciation and Phonetics Syllabus

Pronunciation and Phonetics syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Pronunciation and Phonetics in French Language, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The French Alphabet and Sounds

   4 topics

   • The Alphabet and Letter Names
   • Vowel Sounds
   • Consonant Sounds
   • Semi-Vowels (Glides)
2. 2

   Nasal Vowels

   3 topics

   • The Four Nasal Sounds (an, on, in, un)
   • Distinguishing Nasal vs Oral Vowels
   • Spelling Patterns for Nasals
3. 3

   Liaison, Elision, and Enchainement

   3 topics

   • Compulsory and Forbidden Liaisons
   • Elision of Vowels
   • Enchainement and Linking
4. 4

   Accents and Diacritics

   3 topics

   • Accent Aigu, Grave, and Circonflexe
   • Cedilla and Trema
   • How Accents Change Pronunciation and Meaning
5. 5

   Intonation and Rhythm

   3 topics

   • Sentence Stress and Rhythm Groups
   • Rising and Falling Intonation
   • Question Intonation

Pronunciation and Phonetics flashcards for French Language

20 of 50 cards from the Pronunciation and Phonetics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How many letters are in the French alphabet, and how does its inventory compare to English?

   The French alphabet has the same 26 letters as English (A–Z). The letters are identical in form; only their names and pronunciations differ, and French adds diacritics (accents) rather than new letters.

2. What are the French names of the vowel letters A, E, I, O, U?

   A = /a/ ("ah"), E = /ə/ ("euh"), I = /i/ ("ee"), O = /o/ ("oh"), U = /y/ (the rounded front vowel, like "ew" with rounded lips).

3. How is the letter W named in French, and why is it unusual?

   W is called "double vé" (double V), not "double U" as in English. It appears mainly in borrowed words (e.g., wagon, week-end).

4. What is the difference between the French letter names for G and J?

   They are swapped relative to English: French G is pronounced "jé" (/ʒe/) and French J is pronounced "ji" (/ʒi/). This often confuses English speakers spelling aloud.

5. Define an oral vowel and state roughly how many distinct oral vowel sounds French has.

   An oral vowel is one produced with air flowing only through the mouth (the velum raised, blocking the nasal cavity). French has about 12 distinct oral vowel sounds, more than its 5 vowel letters.

6. Distinguish the French vowels /e/ (é) and /ɛ/ (è) in terms of mouth opening.

   /e/ (closed e, as in été) is a close-mid vowel with the mouth more closed; /ɛ/ (open e, as in père/mère) is an open-mid vowel with the mouth more open. They form a minimal contrast, e.g., "j'ai" vs an open-e sound.

7. What is the key articulatory feature of the French vowel /y/ (as in "tu") that English lacks?

   /y/ is a close front rounded vowel: the tongue is in the /i/ ("ee") position while the lips are rounded as for /u/ ("oo"). English has no equivalent, causing learners to confuse "tu" /ty/ with "tout" /tu/.

8. Contrast the vowels in French "tout" and "tu".

   "Tout" = /tu/, a close back rounded vowel (tongue back). "Tu" = /ty/, a close front rounded vowel (tongue forward, lips rounded). The tongue position is the distinguishing feature.

9. What is the schwa ("e muet") in French and when may it be dropped?

   The schwa /ə/ is the neutral vowel written as unaccented e (e.g., "le", "petit"). It is often unstressed and may be dropped in rapid speech, especially at the end of words or between consonants when pronunciation stays easy (e.g., "samedi" → /samdi/).

10. Give the three French vowel pairs distinguished only by lip rounding (front unrounded vs front rounded).

    /i/–/y/ (si/su), /e/–/ø/ (fée/feu), and /ɛ/–/œ/ (père/peur). In each pair the tongue position is the same; only the lips change from spread to rounded.

11. How is the French consonant R (/ʁ/) articulated, and how does it differ from English R?

    French R is a voiced uvular fricative/trill /ʁ/, produced at the back of the throat near the uvula. English R is an alveolar approximant made with the tongue tip forward. French R does NOT curl the tongue tip.

12. Describe the general difference in force between French and English plosives like /p/, /t/, /k/.

    French voiceless plosives /p, t, k/ are unaspirated — pronounced without the puff of air that follows English initial /p, t, k/. Compare English "pot" (aspirated) with French "peau" (no puff).

13. When is a final written consonant usually silent in French, and name common exceptions.

    Most final consonants are silent (e.g., the -t in "petit", -s in "les", -d in "grand"). The common exceptions are the consonants in the mnemonic C-A-R-E-F-U-L: c, r, f, l are often pronounced finally (e.g., avec, mer, neuf, avril).

14. What sounds do the French letter combinations "ch" and "gn" represent?

    "ch" = /ʃ/ (the "sh" sound, e.g., chat). "gn" = /ɲ/ (a palatal nasal, like the "ny" in canyon, e.g., montagne).

15. Define a semi-vowel (glide) and list the three French semi-vowels.

    A semi-vowel (glide) is a vowel-like sound that functions as a consonant, transitioning quickly into a following vowel. The three French glides are /j/ (yod, as in "pied"), /w/ (as in "oui"), and /ɥ/ (as in "lui").

16. What is the glide /ɥ/ and how does it differ from /w/?

    /ɥ/ is the labial-palatal glide, the semi-vowel counterpart of /y/ (as in "lui", "nuit"). /w/ is the labial-velar glide, the counterpart of /u/ (as in "oui", "Louis"). /ɥ/ has the tongue front and lips rounded; /w/ has the tongue back.

17. Which vowels correspond to the semi-vowels /j/, /w/, and /ɥ/?

    /j/ ↔ /i/ (yod), /w/ ↔ /u/ (as in ou), and /ɥ/ ↔ /y/ (as in u). Each glide is the rapid, non-syllabic version of its full vowel.

18. How is the spelling "oi" pronounced in French?

    "oi" is pronounced /wa/ — the glide /w/ followed by the vowel /a/ (e.g., "moi" /mwa/, "trois" /tʁwa/).

19. Name the four French nasal vowel sounds and give a keyword for each.

    There are four: /ɑ̃/ (an/en, as in "blanc"), /ɔ̃/ (on, as in "bon"), /ɛ̃/ (in/ain, as in "vin"), and /œ̃/ (un, as in "brun"). In much of modern spoken French /œ̃/ has merged into /ɛ̃/.

20. How is a nasal vowel produced physiologically?

    A nasal vowel is produced with the velum (soft palate) lowered so air escapes through BOTH the mouth and the nose simultaneously. The following n/m is not pronounced as a separate consonant — it only signals nasalization.

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