3.5: Phonétique
- Page ID
- 195180
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In French, stress (l'accentuation) is placed on the final syllable of a word. This is very different from the placement of stress in English which varies according to the word itself. Notice that French stress falls on the last syllable whereas English stress may fall on any syllable (word initial, word medial, or word final). This means that word stress is easily predicted (and learned!) in French.
Repeat the following examples:
| French | English | |
| NormanDIE | NORmandy | |
| AtlanTIQUE | AtlANtic | |
| CanaDA | CAnada | |
| PaRIS | PAris |
When words are strung together in French to form sentences, stress is placed on the final syllable of the phrase. In a sense, French speakers treat a phrase like they treat a single word – they place the stress at the end. In English, on the other hand, words retain their individual stress pattern when combined into sentences.
Repeat the following examples:
Je visite la cathéDRALE.
Je visite la cathédrale Notre DAME.
Je visite la cathédrale Notre Dame à PaRIS.
I'm VIsiting the caTHEdral.
I'm VIsiting the caTHEdral NOtre DAME.
I'm VIsiting the caTHEdral NOtre DAME in PAris.
Good French pronunciation requires mastery of 3 elements: individual sounds (phonemes), stress placement, and intonation. Intonation refers to the varying pitch levels of speech. Often referred to as the "melody" of a language, intonation is associated with certain sentence types: declarative, exclamative, imperative, and interrogative (questions).
Declarative Intonation
Short declarative sentences typically have a falling intonation. Longer declarative sentences often have a rise then a fall.
Listen and repeat:
Il y a une salle.
Dans cette salle il y a des étudiants et un professeur.
Exclamative Intonation
Exclamative intonation is marked by a sharp fall in pitch.
Listen and repeat:
Quelle beau chat !
Quelle horreur !
Imperative Intonation
Imperative intonation is similar to exclamative intonation—that is, a sharp fall at the end.
Listen and repeat:
Répétez !
Ecoutez !
Interrogative Intonation
Yes/No question are signaled by a sharp rise on the final syllable.
Listen and repeat:
Tu aimes ta classe ?
Est-ce que tu travailles ?
Information questions begin with a high pitch on the question word (où, pourquoi, comment, etc.) and then gradually fall.
Listen and repeat:
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Quelle heure est-il ?
This page is an adoptation of Francais Interactif.