Chapter 6 Très Chic: Shopping and Urban Culture – La Prononciation

The Finishing Touch: French Nasal Vowels

The French nasal vowels are the last in our series of pesky French sounds. These are AN, IN, ON, and UN, respectively. The great thing about nasal vowels is that they are present in English as well, so they will not be as foreign as “U” or “R.”

Unlike French oral vowels, which are produced within the mouth, French nasal vowels are produced using both the mouth and nose. We see this in English with words/colloquialisms like sing, huh, and own. English does not have an official distinction between nasal and oral vowels like French does, but we do unconsciously employ similar sounds. 

In French, nasal vowels are generally followed by n or m, and it is in these two letters that most of the challenge lies. Their only purpose is to act as signifiers that the vowel or vowel combination preceding them should be nasalized, so this means they are not pronounced. This can cause a mess of confusion for English-speakers who take this to mean that the language “cuts off” the end of words, especially due to the fact that English does the exact opposite in relation to nasal vowels. A better way to look at it is to view n and m as nifty pronunciation cues, ensuring that you pronounce the word with that iconic nasal twang.

First, it is necessary to recognize what a nasal vowel feels like in English. Place a finger along the side of your nose and say “mmm.” Notice the vibration? This indicates that you are making this sound nasally. Now keep your finger along your nose and elongate the s sound, just like you are mimicking a snake. This is pronounced orally, so we do not feel this vibration. This is the key to making sure you are pronouncing French nasal vowels correctly. 

 With this information, getting the hang of nasal vowels is as simple as learning the essence of each sound.

The Nasal A – AN

The nasal “A” is pronounced like ahn, where the n represents the nasal sound. It is pronounced by keeping the lips unrounded and nasalizing the oral “A” vowel. Remember that nasalizing means pronouncing through both your nose and mouth. It is most commonly spelled as the following (remember that they will all be pronounced the same):

                                   ● an

                                   ● am

                                   ● en

                Examples:   

Listen to Track 80

The Nasal I – IN

The nasal “I” sound sounds like en, where the n represents the nasal sound. It is most commonly spelled with:

                                   ● in

                                   ● ain

                                   ● ein

                                   ● un

Examples:

Listen to Track 81

The Nasal O – ON

The nasal “O” sounds like on, where the n indicates nasalization. It is pronounced by nasalizing the close “O” vowel. Spellings include:

                                   ● on

                                   ● om

Examples:

Listen to Track 82

The Nasal U – UN

Although this sound is rapidly becoming defunct with younger generations and is absent in certain dialects, it has not completely disappeared. It sounds like euhn, where the n indicates nasalization. It is pronounced by nasalizing the open eu vowel combination. For those looking to follow the younger generation’s trend, pronounce this sound the same as IN. It is generally spelled as:

                                   ● un

                                   ● um

Examples:

Listen to Track 83