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15.2: Dialectal Variations in Intonation (Beyond France)

  • Page ID
    270511
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    Objectifs

    In this section, you will learn about other dialects of French from around the world.

    Media Alternative

    Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.

    In the audio players, you can slow down the audio by clicking on the turtle and speed up by clicking on the rabbit. The turtle and rabbit are located at the bottom right corner of each audio player. 

    Map of the world indicating French-speaking countries
    "Map-Francophonie" is in the Public Domain, CC0

    Let's explore!

    Each region of the world where French is spoken also has its own accent, rhythm, and intonation. In many of the regions or countries where French is spoken - and in larger cities - the French spoken is quite similar to the Parisian French. In smaller areas - or in the countryside - the accents can vary quite a bit from the "standard" French accent. Even within one country, such as Belgium or Switzerland, accents can vary from region to region. On this page, we will explore some of these different countries or regions.

    For more information on the different kinds of French spoken around the world, visit page 1.4: French Throughout the World.

    Watch and listen to the various videos, and see if you can notice these distinctions between continental France and France spoken in order places in the world.

    French in Europe

    Switzerland

    Listen to how they speak French in Switzerland

    French in Africa

    Here's are some videos on the various African French accents and African French Dialects

    French in North America

    French spoken in Quebec

    Sign showing flags that represent different Canadian French dialects
    "Drapeaux de la francophonie canadienne" is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

    Watch how these French speakers react to Cajun French.

    French in Asia

    Watch this video about Vietnamese French.

    French in the Caribbean

    Listen to the intonation and rhythm is this person's West Indian accent (accent antillais).

    French Around the World

    Intonation and rhythm contribute to the musicality of a language and its different dialects.  Listen to these different French accents from around the world and pay attention to differences in intonation and rhythm:


    This page titled 15.2: Dialectal Variations in Intonation (Beyond France) is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by William J. Carrasco & Shahrzad Zahedi.

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