COURSE NAME AND CODE: FOREIGN LANGUAGES – FRENCH (LAICLFR100)

FACULTY: LAW

LEVEL: 1.1

GROUP NUMBER: 23

GROUP MEMBERS

Lucia Chishiri R053564J

Debra Govo R174026R

Eglon Mapako R238079K BLS

Flamboyant Maphosa R2526976 LLB

Tinotenda Natasha Maunze R2526867 LLB

Wongai Roy Bereza. R2527052 LLBS

Manzou Ivy T R 2526945 LLBS

Nheta lvy Angeline. R2526913 LLBS

Mzondiwa Rumbidzai D R2528527 BLS

Chigome Kwenda Tsungai R2528547 BLS

Chewe Moreblessing Shamiso R2530155 BLS

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Magomo Shalom T R2526926 LLBS

Miga Aisha Anashe R2527035 LLBS

Kamucheka Kelvin Shumirai R2532488LLBS

Lunga Thubelihle C R2527048 LLBS

Pearce Janga R2528609 BLS

Cherlyn Tariro Matambo R2533211 LLBS

Sibonginkosi Nkomo R2526889 LLBS

Aaliah M Maseko R2526960 LLBS

Shalom C Kunyongana R2527007 LLBS

Tauro Chelsea JB. R2532205 LLBS

Moyo Brittney V. R2526880 LLBS

Tawanda Manenji. R102124W BLS

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Introduction

French phonetics refers to the set of sounds -phonemes, pronunciation rules and writing
principles that determine how the French language is spoken. The system provides a framework
of connecting letters, spellings and sounds through the components to be discussed below.

Alphabet

The French alphabet has 26 letters, just like the standard English alphabet. However, each letter
is pronounced differently from the English alphabet. The French alphabet has 5 accent marks
which ultimately change the pronunciation and meaning of the letters. For example, some letters
(like h, w, k, y) have special behaviors, and the French ‘r’ and ‘u’ are particularly distinct from
English sounds. Given these peculiar characteristics, the French phonetic alphabet essentially has
37 sounds.

a) Consonants
There are 5 critical classes of consonants that give different meanings to words:
i. 9 of the 21 consonants in the French phonetic alphabet are pronounced the same as in
the English language at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of a word. These
are B, D, F, K, L, P, V, X, Z. Examples of French words that have these letters in words
are:
 B → beau (beautiful), boire (to drink), bouche (mouth)
 D → dame (lady), dire (to say), demain (tomorrow)
 F → fleur (flower), froid (cold), finir (to finish)
 K → kilo (kilo), kangourou (kangaroo), kayak (kayak) → (note: k appears
mostly in loanwords)
 L → livre (book), lumière (light), lire (to read)
 P → papa (dad), pain (bread), porte (door)
 V → vie (life), voir (to see), ville (city)
 X → six (six), taxi (taxi), excellent (excellent)
 Z → zéro (zero), zèbre (zebra), zone (zone/area)

ii. N, M are pronounced as in English in cases such as at the beginning of the word but
differently in some instances such as at the end of the word as shown below:
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  At the beginning, N is pronounced as a clear [n] sound.
o neuf (nine)
o nuit (night)
 At the end, N is usually silent and serves to nasalize the vowel before it,
unless followed by another vowel.
o pain [pɛ̃] (bread)
o bon [bɔ̃] (good)
 If another vowel follows, the n may be pronounced clearly:
o bonne année [bɔn-ane] (Happy New Year).

iii. Four French consonants are pronounced differently depending on what letter follows
them. These letters have “soft” and “hard” pronunciations:
 C
o Soft C = s - when C is followed by e, i, or y for example: cent [sɑ̃]
(hundred), cinéma [sineˈma] (cinema), cycle [sikl] (cycle)
o Hard C = k - When C is followed by a, o, u, or a consonant for
example: car [kaʁ] (coach/bus), corps [kɔʁ] (body)
 G
o Soft G = ʒ like measure - when G is followed by e, i, or y for
examples: gens [ʒɑ̃] (people, [ʒiʁaf] (giraffe)
o Hard G = g (like “go”) - when G is followed by a, o, u, or a
consonant for example: gare [gaʁ] (station), gomme [gɔm] (eraser)
o Special Case: GU - To keep a hard [g] sound before e, i, y, French
adds a silent u for example: guide [gid], guitare [gitaʁ]
 S
o Regular S = s - at the beginning of a word, at the end, or when
doubled (ss) for example: soleil [sɔlɛj] (sun), passe [pas] (pass),
classe [klas] (class)
o Between Vowels it becomes (z) (voiced) - rose [ʁoz] (rose), maison
[mɛzɔ̃] (house)

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 o Double S= ss - always (s) between vowels like pousser [puse] (to
push)
 T
o Normal T = t – it is clear and softer than English for examples: table
[tabl] (table), trop [tʁo] (too much)
o Special Change: T + ion - When -tion occurs, it is often pronounced
[sjɔ̃] (like “see-on”) for example: nation [nasjɔ̃] (nation), question
[kɛsjɔ̃] (question), attention [atɑ̃sjɔ̃] (attention)
It is key to that some -tion words are pronounced (tjɔ̃) (less common,
often technical terms).
iv. The letter H is always silent
v. Four consonants are completely different in French and English and these are:
 J – It is pronounced like the ‘s’ in vision or measure, for example je (I), jour
(day)
 Q – it is always followed by a ‘u’ which is pronounced as ‘k’ for example que
(what/that) → [kə], quatre (four) → [katʁ].
 R – it has an uvular fricative, produced at the back of the throat for example
rouge [ʁuʒ]
 W – it appears mainly in borrowed words and can be pronounced as /v/ or /w/
for example wagon (wagon) → [vaɡɔ̃], weekend → [wikɛnd]

b) Vowels

There are 6 vowels in the French phonetic system unlike in the English alphabet with 5. The
letter Y is classified as a vowel. There are 3 categories of vowels in the French phonetic system:

 Oral vowels – these are vowels that make words that are pronounced with air passing
through the mouth. Front unrounded vowels are those pronounced with the lips
widespread, and these are i, e, ɛ, a. Back rounded vowels are those said with your mouth
almost closed, and these are u, o, ɔ.

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  Nasal Vowels - these are vowels that make words that are pronounced with air passing
through both the nose and mouth and these are ɑ̃, ɛ̃, œ̃, /ɔ̃/. Examples of words with such
vowels are sans [sɑ̃] (without), /ɛ̃/pain [pɛ̃] (bread), /œ̃/un [œ̃] (one), /ɔ̃/nom [nɔ̃] (name)
 Semi-vowels – also known as glides, are 3 vowel-like sounds that behave like consonants
before another vowel and these are j, ɥ, w. Examples of words are fille [fij] (girl), huit
[ɥit] (eight), oui [wi] (yes)

Sound Combinations

This refers to how different sounds (consonants + vowels) interact when spoken in continuous
speech. In French, this is especially important because pronunciation does not always match
spelling. This is why French sounds smooth and flowing compared to English, which allows
more consonant clusters. Below are examples of sound combinations:

 Consonant + Vowel (CV) combinations

French is often described as a CV (consonant–vowel) language because syllables
usually follow this pattern. Examples are:
o papa → [pa.pa]
o mama → [ma.mɑ̃]
o télé → [te.le]
 Vowel + Vowel
When two vowels come together (written or spoken), French uses:

o Hiatus - each vowel is pronounced separately for example poète → [po.ɛt]

o Glides (semi-vowels) - one vowel becomes a glide for example, pied → [pje]
(not [pi.e])
 Consonant + Consonant (CC) clusters
French generally avoids heavy clusters. If two consonants appear, usually one belongs
to the next syllable for example: apprendre → [a.pʁɑ̃dʁ]
acte → [akt] (final e often silent) . Some borrowed words keep English-like clusters
for example: stress [stʁɛs], sketch [skɛtʃ].

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Silent letters

Silent letters are written but not pronounced. They exist because French spelling reflects
historical pronunciation from Old French/Latin more than modern speech. Examples of silent
letters are:

 Silent final consonants - Most word-final consonants are silent, except in special cases
(liaison). Silent final letters are usually -t, -s, -d, -p, -g, -x. Examples of words are: chat
→ [ʃa] (silent t), plomb → [plɔ̃] (silent b), nez → [ne] (silent z), froid → [fʁwa] (silent
d)
 Silent Final -e (Schwa) - The final -e is usually silent in modern French for example:
femme → [fam], table → [tabl], petite → [pətit]
 Silent H - French has two kinds of H:
o H muet (silent h) - behaves like a vowel, allows elision and liaison l’homme
[l‿ɔm], les hommes [lez‿ɔm]
o H aspiré (aspirated h): blocks elision and liaison, but is still silent (no actual [h]
sound) - le héros [lə eʁo], not l’héros, les héros [le eʁo], no liaison
 Silent Double Letters - Doubling letters doesn’t change pronunciation. For example: fille
→ [fij] (double ll = /j/), belle → [bɛl], addition → [adisjɔ̃] (double dd = /d/)
 Silent Letter Combinations - some groups include letters that are not pronounced: gn →
[ɲ] (montagne [mɔ̃taɲ]), ill → [j] (fille [fij])

French R

The French R is a throaty sound that defines the French accent. The French R is a uvular fricative
[ʁ], made at the back of the throat with the uvula. It’s one of the main sounds that gives French
its “guttural” character. Examples of words with the French R are: rouge → [ʁuʒ], Paris →
[paʁi], fleur → [flœʁ]. Variations of the French R are:

 Standard (Parisian) French: uvular fricative [ʁ] or [χ].

 Southern France / older speakers: alveolar trill [r] (rolled r, like Spanish or Italian).
 Informal speech: sometimes reduced or weakened, especially in final position (hiver →
[ivɛʁ] or [ivɛ]).

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Elision (l’élision)

It is a word or phrase that has been shortened by omitting some letters (Contractions in
language), with an apostrophe (‘ ) used to show where the missing letters would have been. For
example, in English, "do not" becomes "don't" or "I am" becomes "I'm". Elision occurs when a
final vowel (usually -e or -a) is dropped before a word that begins with a vowel or silent h. It is
marked with an apostrophe. This avoids a clash of vowels and keeps speech flowing smoothly.

Examples:

 le ami → l’ami (“the friend”)

 je aime → j’aime (“I love”)
 que il → qu’il (“that he”)

Liaison

Liaison is the linking of a normally silent final consonant of one word to the initial vowel sound
of the following word. It creates fluidity in pronunciation.

Examples: S – X – Z = Z; D – T = T; N=N; F=V; Q=K

 vous avez → pronounced [vu‿zave] (‘’you have ‘’)

 les enfants → pronounced [lez‿ɑ̃fɑ̃] (‘’the infants ‘’)
 un grand homme → pronounced [œ̃ grɑ̃‿tɔm] (‘’a great man ‘’)
 mona vis → pronounced [mo‿navis] (‘’my opinion ‘’)

When it is required

 Articles and nouns. These are words like le, la, les, un, une, des, and l' that come before
nouns to show gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
 Numbers and nouns.
 Adjectives and nouns. For example – Beau / Belle (beautiful or handsome), grand /
grande (big/tall), bon/ bonne (good)
 Pronoun and pronoun. For example- je (I), tu (you), il (he/it), elle (she/it), on (one/we),
nous (we), vous (you plural/formal), ils (they/masculine), and elles (they/feminine).
 Pronouns and verbs.

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When it is forbidden

 After singular nouns. For example - le parent intelligent (“the intelligent parent’’).
 After et (and)
 Before H aspire’ (as a consonant) – For example – un haricot (‘’a bean’’)
 Before 11 – For example, les onze livres (‘’ the eleven books’’)
 Before oui
 After a name
 After interrogative adverbs (quand, comment, etc.) when not followed by a verb

When it is optional

 After plural nouns (before an adjective or verb)

o des enfants intelligents (‘’ the intelligent children”) → [dez‿ɑ̃fɑ̃ ɛ̃teliʒɑ̃] (formal)
vs. [de ɑ̃fɑ̃ ɛ̃teliʒɑ̃] (casual)
 After très (‘’ very"), trop (‘’ too much’’), plus (‘’more’’) (when not negated)
o très aimable → [tʁɛz‿ɛmabl]
 After certain short adverbs and prepositions
o chez elle (“at her home" or "at her place") → [ʃez‿ɛl]
 After verb forms in compound tenses (between auxiliary and past participle, especially
with être)
o ils sont arrivés → [il sɔ̃‿taʁive] (formal) vs. [il sɔ̃ aʁive] (casual)
 After inversion in questions
o sont-ils arrivés ? → [sɔ̃‿tilzaʁive]
 In more formal speech after long adverbs or prepositions
o avant eux → [avɑ̃‿tø]S

Nasal vowels

As highlighted in the vowels section above, nasal vowels are vowels pronounced with air passing
simultaneously through the mouth and nose, creating a unique resonant sound without
pronouncing the following 'm' or 'n'. There are typically four such sounds: /ɛ̃/ (as in in, ain), /ɑ̃/

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(as in an, en), /ɔ̃/ (as in on), and /œ̃/ (as in un). These can be identified in writing by the letters
'an', 'en', 'on', 'in', 'un', or combinations of these, especially when the 'm' or 'n' is not followed by
a vowel.

Soft and Hard Sounds

Consonants like c and g change value depending on the following letter:

• c hard /k/: carte; c soft /s/: ciel

• g hard /g/: gâteau; g soft /ʒ/: genou
• Softening before a, o, u uses diacritics: garçon (ç = /s/), gueule (gue = /g/)

The Letter "C" in French

The letter 'C' in French is a versatile character with different pronunciation rules based on its
position and the letters surrounding it. It can be hard, like a 'k' sound, or soft, like an 's' sound.
Here are the basic rules:
1. When 'C' is followed by 'a,' 'o,' 'u,' or any consonant, it's pronounced like the 'k' in
"koala." For example: "café" (coffee), "corps" (body), "culture" (culture), "classe" (class).
2. When 'C' is followed by 'e,' 'i,' or 'y,' it's pronounced like the 's' in "see." For example:
"célèbre" (famous), "citron" (lemon), and "cycle" (cycle).
There's an exception to these rules: when 'C' is followed by 'a,' ‘o,' 'u,' and it has an accent mark
called cedilla (ç), it's pronounced like 's.' The cedilla is a diacritical mark used in French to
change 'C' from a hard to a soft sound. For example: "garçon" (boy), "façade" (facade).

The Letter "G" in French

The letter 'G' in French is another letter with different pronunciation rules depending on its
context. It can have a hard sound similar to the 'g' in "get" or a soft sound similar to the 'zh' in
"vision." Here are the basic rules:
1. When 'G' is followed by 'a,' 'o,' 'u,' or any consonant, it's pronounced like the 'g' in
"get." For example: "gare" (station), "gorge" (throat), "gustatif" (gustatory), and "grande"
(big).

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 2. When 'G' is followed by 'e,' 'i,' or 'y,' it's pronounced like the 'zh' as in "vision." For
example: "général" (general), "girafe" (giraffe), "gymnastique" (gymnastics).
There is an exception to these rules: when 'G' is followed by 'e' or 'i' and there is another
consonant letter between them (for example, 'n'), the 'G' is pronounced like 'g' in "get." For
example: "magnifique" (magnificent), "signe" (sign).

The Letter "R" in French

The pronunciation of the letter 'R' in French is known for being a challenging aspect of the
French language for many learners. It's pronounced at the back of the throat and is often
described as a guttural sound. Here are the basic rules:
1. At the beginning of words, 'R' is pronounced with a more forceful roll or rasp. For
example: "rue" (street), "rat" (rat).
2. Within or at the end of words, 'R' is often less forcefully pronounced but still retains the
guttural quality. For example: "par" (by), "mer" (sea).
3. When 'R' is followed by a 'T' at the end of a word, it is usually silent, while the 'T' is
pronounced. For example: "huit" (eight), "fort" (strong).
4. If 'R' is followed by another 'R' or preceded by an 'H,' it's also pronounced with a
more forceful roll or rasp. For example: "terre" (earth), "horrible" (horrible).

The Letter "S" in French

The pronunciation of 'S' in French depends on its position in a word and the letters around it.
Here are the basic rules:
1. When 'S' is at the beginning of a word or when it's a double 'S' (ss) within a word,
it's pronounced like the 's' in "set." For example: "soleil" (sun), "poisson" (fish).
2. When 'S' is located between two vowels in a word, it's pronounced like the 'z' in "zoo."
For example: "poésie" (poetry), "maison" (house).
3. 'S' at the end of a word is usually silent unless the following word starts with a vowel,
in which case it's pronounced like 'z,' linking the two words. This phenomenon is known
as liaison. For example: "les amis" (the friends) would be pronounced /lez ami/.

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In some plural words, the final 'S' is silent but becomes voiced in liaison. For example, "les
chats" (the cats) is pronounced /le shah/, but "les chats orange" (the orange cats) is
pronounced/lez shahs orange/.

The Letter "U" in French

The pronunciation of the letter 'U' in French often poses a challenge for language learners due to
having a unique sound. Here are the basic rules:
1. The French' U' is typically pronounced by shaping the lips as if to combine the sound
of 'oo' (as in English "boot") and the sound 'ee' (as in "see"). This forms a distinct vowel
sound, for example: "tu"/tew/ (you), "lune"/leune/ (moon).
2. When 'U' is preceded by a 'Q,' it's usually silent. For example: "quelque" /kelk/ (some).
3. If 'U' is preceded by 'G' and followed by 'I' or 'E,' the 'U' is also silent and serves to
harden the 'G' as in English "get." For example: "guerre"/gehrr/ (war), "guider"/gee-dey/
(to guide).
Mastering the pronunciation of the French' U' can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. With
careful listening and practice, you can learn to differentiate and pronounce this sound accurately.

The Letter "Y" in French

The letter 'Y' in French is known as /ee grek/ because it originally comes from the Greek
alphabet. It can serve as both a vowel and a consonant. Here are the basic pronunciation rules of
this letter in French:
1. When 'Y' is used as a vowel and it's not preceded by another vowel, it is typically
pronounced like the 'ee' in "see." For example: "style"/steel`/ (style).
2. When 'Y' is used as a vowel and is preceded by another vowel, it often acts as a
consonant and is pronounced like the 'y' in "yes." For example: "payer"/pay-yay/ (to pay).
3. When 'Y' is at the end of a word, it is usually pronounced like the 'i' in "ski." For
example: "pays"/peh-ee/ (country).
Understanding the rules and nuances of pronouncing the letter 'Y' in French will greatly enhance
your pronunciation skills and overall command of the French language.

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Accents and Diacritics

• é (acute) → /e/ (été)

• è, ê (grave/circumflex) → /ɛ/ (père, fête)
• ë, ï, ü (diaeresis) splits vowels into separate syllables (Noël)
• ç (cedilla) → /s/ before a, o, u (garçon)
• â, î, ô, û (circumflex) often marks historical spelling; can affect quality (forêt)

French Accent Marks

1. aigu
2. circonflexe
3. grave
4. tréma
5. Cédille
The French alphabet also has accents. Little accent marks you’ll see above letters like “à” or “û.”
These marks change the pronunciation of the letter. There are five different French accent marks
that can be added to specific letters to change the pronunciation or meaning of a word.

Accent Name Examples Pronunciation/Effects

Accent aigu é “AY”

Accent circonflexe â, ê, î, ô, û No real effect on pronunciation

Accent grave à, è, ù No real effect on pronunciation

Accent tréma ë, ï, ü Separates two vowel sounds

Cédille ç A soft “s” sound

1) The accent aigu points diagonally upward, and it can only be placed on the letter E.

 é
It makes the E pronounced at the end of a word instead of being silent. For example, danse is
pronounced DAHNS. When an accent aigu is added, dansé is now pronounced DAHNS-AY.
When an accent aigu is added to a verb, it often indicates the past tense of the verb.

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2) The accent circonflexe makes a little rooftop on any vowel. It doesn’t change the
pronunciation of the word.

 â, ê, î, ô, û
3) The accent grave points diagonally downward on the letters A, E, and U.

 à, è, ù
It doesn’t have an effect on pronunciation, but it does often change the meaning of a word. For
example, ou means “or.” Où means “where.” This accent makes a big difference in meaning.
Forgetting an accent circonflexe can cause confusion to a French reader.

4) The accent tréma separates to vowels so they are distinctly pronounced.

 ë, ï, ü
For example, in English, we have the name Joel that is pronounced like JOLE. The verbs meld
together as one. In French, they have the holiday, Noël. The verbs are distinctly pronounced as
NO-EL, not NOLE. This is because of the accent tréma.

5) The cédille accent is only used on the letter C.

 ç
It changes a hard C to a soft C that makes a sound like an S. Garçon is pronounced GAR-SOHN
not GAR-CON.

In addition, there are other exceptions and extra rules on how to pronounce the French alphabet.
It is important to note that the French has many pronunciation rules when it comes to letters,
such as:

 The Letter “Y” in the French alphabet acts just like the English Y. It’s a consonant if the
first letter of a word and a vowel (i or ee sound) if following a consonant.
 Consonants from the English word “CAREFUL” (C, R, F, and L) are usually pronounced
at the end of words. All other consonants are usually silent. The word for egg
demonstrates this idea. Un oeuf (an egg) is pronounced UHN-UHF. The F is pronounced.
The plural des oeufs (some eggs) is pronounced DAY-ZUH. The S is silent.
 If a consonant is followed by the letter E at the end of the word, it becomes a pronounced
sound instead of remaining silent. Intelligent is the masculine form of the adjective. The
T is silent (IHN-TELL-EE-JAHN). However, to make the word feminine, the letter E is
added: intelligente. In this case, the T is pronounced (IHN-TELL-EE-JAHNT). French
speakers can tell by this pronunciation if the speaker is referring to a male or a female.
 When the letter S precedes a vowel at the start of another word, it forms a liaison. This
means that the S will be pronounced like the English Z. Les ananas means “the

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pineapples.” It is pronounced LAY-ZAHN-AHN-NAH. The S makes the Z sound before
the A.

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