Hello everyone and thank you for choosing Talk In French.
Today we start our first day of class with vowel pronunciation.
Yeah, it may scare you, but don't panic, if you know the French alphabet, you're already
halfway there.
Here is a
small
reminder
of the
French
alphabet.
There are vowels and consonants.
Those letters you see in red are what we call vowels.
So there are six in
the alphabet.
Yes, but what's the point?
As in most Latin languages, in French, vowels are the essential element in
pronouncing the syllable and therefore the word.
This means that by the end of this course, you will be able to pronounce any word in
French, even if it seems complicated.
Something to impress everyone.
How to pronounce the vowels?
When do you pronounce a vowel?
There are two things to watch out for.
The shape of the mouth and its degree of opening.
And the position of the tongue and lips.
That's a lot of theory.
Let's get down to business right away.
I will pronounce each of the six vowels of the alphabet.
Observe
the position of my tongue and the shape of my lips carefully.
Note that Y is pronounced exactly like I, which means that for the moment you only have
five sounds to practice.
Great, isn't it?
If you have trouble pronouncing a vowel, don't worry, we'll now look at each of the
five sounds in more detail.
Let's start with the easy ones A.
Look at my lips are open and in a neutral position, my tongue extended, that is to
say, it's flattened at the bottom of my mouth.
I. I I. Look, my lips are tense and almost closed, as if I were smiling.
My tongue, on the other hand, goes forward.
O O, look, my lips are more rounded and projected forward the back of my tongue goes
up a little towards the palate.
In turn, repeat after me A.
I. O.
Excellent. Let's move on to the one that seems a bit more difficult.
U. U.
Look, my lips are rounded, almost closed and projected forward.
The back of my tongue is directed towards the center of my mouth.
Here is an illustration to help you.
Now it's your turn.
A little tip: pronounce the sound O, then gradually push
your tongue forward, as if you were rounding your mouth while
trying to pronounce the i sound.
We have it.
E. E.
Look, my lips are slightly rounded, but a little more open than the u sound and the
back of the tongue is a little more pushed back from the mouth than the u sound.
Here is an illustration to help you.
You see the back of the tongue pushed back and the lips are less rounded but more open.
In turn, repeat after me.
Once again. U.
E. Once again
U. E.
Excellent work.
In the second part, we will see how to pronounce consonants.
Join me.