h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Kat, Just paste the explanation about French pronunciation from my book. And I'll start another thread about French
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Stress
Unlike English, all syllables in French words are distinctly sounded and evenly stressed, with a little more emphasis being given to the last syllable. Contrast the stress in the word 'important' which appears in both languages:
English : im-PRO-tant
French : ang-por-tahng *ng should be italic.

Thank you Taeko when I go to the library I will copy it.

kat

"a" is pronounced like 'ah' in English : "la" (the)
"à" is also pronounced like 'ah' : "là" (there)
"â" is pronounced like 'ah' but longer : âne (donkey)
"e" is pronounced like ai in 'fair' in the middle of a syllable : mer (sea)
"e" is pronounced like er in 'her' at the end of a sylaable : le (the)
"e" is silent at the end of a word : tasse (cup)
"é" is pronounced like 'ay' : été (summer)
"è" is pronounced like ai in 'fair' : père　(father)
"ê" is also pronounced like ai in 'fair' : tête (head)
"i,y" are prounced like ee in 'meet' : ski(skiing), y (there)
"o" is pronounced like o in 'not' : poste (post office)
"ô" is pronounced like 'oh' : hôtel
"u" this sound does not exist in English ; say 'ee' with rounded lips : vu (seen)
"oi" is pronounced like 'wah' : roi (king)
"ou" is pronounced like 'oo' : roue (wheel)
"ai,ei" are pronounced like e in 'let' : laine (wool), reine (queen)
"au,eau" are pronounced like 'oh' : au (to the), eau (water)
"eu,oeu" are pronounced like er in 'her' : neuf (nine), soeur (sister)

"c" before e or i sounds like 's' : ceci (this)
"c" elsewhere sounds like 'k' : car (coach/because)
"ç" sounds like 's' : ça (that)
"ch" sounds like 'sh' : château (castle)
"g" before e or i sounds like s in 'measure' : général
"g" elsewhere sounds like g in 'go' : gare (station)
"h" is silent : hôtel
"j" sounds like s in 'measure': je (I)
"qu,q" sound like 'k' : qui (who)
"r" is pronounced at the back of the throat; it is the sound we make when gargling : rire (to laugh)
"s" at the beginning of a word sounds like 's' : salle (room)
"s" between two vowels sounds like 'z' : rose.


IMPORTANT : with the exception of c, f, l and r, consonants are not usually pronounced when they form the last letter of a word :
passepor(t), Pari(s), BUT Hotel, professeur.

These sounds are very characteristic of the French language, but we have nasal sounds in English, too: compare: sing, sang, sung, song - remembering that the standard pronunciation gives very little value to the g. In French there are four very similar nasal sounds:

"om,on" pornounce like ong in 'song' : nom (name), non (no).

"um*, un" pronounce like ung in 'sung' : un (one), brun (brown).

"am,an" pronounce like 'ahng': champ (field), an (year),
"em,en" temps(time), en (in).

"im*,in" pronounce like ang in 'sang' : simple (easy), vin (wine),
"aim, ain" : faim (hunger), bain(bath),
"ein" : plein (full).

"ien" pronounce like 'ee-ang' : bien(well)

* Some French speakers make no distinction between these tow sounds and pronounce them both like ang in 'sang'
"ein" :lein (full).

"er" at the end of a word of two syllables or more sounds like 'ay' : parler (to speak)
"ez" at the end of a word sounds like 'ay' : nez(nose)
"ail" at the end of word sounds like 'ah'ee' : travail(work)
"eil,eile" sound like 'ay'ee' : soleil(sun), bouteille(bottle).
"ill" usually sounds like 'ee'y' : billet ('bee-yey' ticket)
"gn" sounds like ni in 'onion' : signal


The French like their language to flow smoothly. For this reason, if a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h follows a word ending in a consonant, this consonant is linked to the beginning of the second sord:

nous-avons (noo zah-vong), we have
un petit-enfant (ung p'tee tahng-fahng), a small child

When carried over in this way,
"s,x" sound like 'z' : deux-ans (der zahng), two years.
"d" sounds like 't' : un grand-arbre (ung grahng tahbr), a tall tree.
"f" sounds like 'v' : neuf-heures (ner verr), nine hours.

There are three accents in French

the acute; found on the letter e like é
the grqve; found on a, e qnd u like à,è, and ù
the circumflex (^), found on any vowel.

There is also the cedilla, found only underneath the letter c, like ç

The function of the accent is :
a) to modify the sound of a letter. The unaccented a sounds like er in 'her', the é　acute sounds like ay in 'say' and the è grave sounds like ai in 'fair'.

The c which would between words having the same spelling but a different meaning. For example, la(the), là(there); ou(or), où(where) ; sur(on), sûr(sure).

Pronounce all syllable as if they formed part of an English word, giving equal stress to each syllable, but note the following:

"ng(italics)" must never be pronounced : these letter merely
"er"(r italics) do not pronounce the r; this syllable sounds like er in 'her'
"zh" sounds like s in 'measure'.
"ü" no equivalent in English ; round your lips and say 'ee'.
"o" sounds like o in 'not'
"oh" sounds like o in 'note'

This is the same as in English, but K and W are not much used. You should know how to pronounce the letters in case you have to spell out your name to a French receptionist. : H-A-L-E-Y sounded as "ahsh ah el er ee-grek" will meke sense to her, the English version would not.

A(ah) B(bay) C(say) D(day) E(er(r/italic)) F(ef) G(zhay) H(ahsh) I(ee) J(zhee) K(kah) L(el) M(em) N(en) O(oh) P(pay) Q(kü) R(airr) S(ess) T(tay) U(ü) V(vay) W (doobl-vay) X(eeks) Y(ee-grek) Z(zed)　

Kat
That's all for French pronounciation
I hope this won't be too much for you
Well, I'll start another thread for our French lesson soon
Have fun
Take Care
See you soon
Takeo

*** Keep our "normal conversation thread" instead of French learning thread, please

Thank you Taeko I will copy them and then put them in my French Folder.


Kat