Why French pronunciation is so important?

Maybe, you are wondering why you should spend time on and make effort in acquiring correct French pronunciation? And what does it mean French „correct pronunciation”? What is wrong with mispronouncing a word? Isn’t it enough just to communicate?

It is all about the French vowels

French correct pronunciation basically depends on the correct pronunciation of French vowel sounds because, in our case, both French and Polish consonants practically sound the same way. The exception to this is the so-called „Parisian r” but the way it is pronounced doesn’t affect our understanding of the words including this sound. Furthermore, in some French regions, the „r” is pronounced like in Polish, Italian or Spanish. Therefore, the title of the present article should be: „Why pronunciation of French vowel sounds is so important?”

What does French pronunciation have to do with French grammar?

Imagine that you are trying to teach a Spaniard how to correctly pronounce the French words „bain” and „vain”. It will not be easy because, for Spanish people, „b” and „v” sound the same way. Therefore, as long as they don’t learn to audibly distinguish and correctly pronounce these two different consonants, they will not be able to distinguish the words „bain” and „vain”.

This example concerns consonants but the same situation occurs when your mother tongue doesn’t include a vowel sound that exists in French language and whose incorrect pronunciation may change the meaning of French words! For instance, in the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns ce – ces – ceux we can hear three different “French e variants”:

1. ce film – this film
2. ces films – these films
3. ceux réalisés par Luc Besson – those made by Luc Besson

The difference between these three different French „e variants” may not be obvious for some learners if these sound vowels do not exist in their mother tongue. Therefore, some students will have tendency to pronounce all these „e sounds” in a similar way, without distinguishing the three different grammar forms mentioned above.

If you are not aware of it or don’t distinguish in your speech the three French „e variants”, you may pronounce the adjectives/pronouns ce – ces – ceux in a similar way. As a result, even though you perfectly know the rules that apply to their use, this grammar difference will not be heard while you are speaking!

This kind of examples can be multiplied…

Here, the following rhetorical question arises: isn’t learning French grammar a waste of time and effort if not followed by learning correct French pronunciation? I believe that you would like to convey all the grammar subtleties that you have learnt, and therefore, to correctly express your communicative intentions and make them clear to your speaker.

3 words in 1…

Another example: if you pronounce „ma soeur” (my sister) as „ma ser”, your French speaker will hear „ma serre” (my greenhouse / my claw). This time, it is not so much about grammar but simply about distinguishing different words!

Thanks to linguistic or situational context, your speaker may – despite your incorrect pronunciation – understand your communicative intentions. If someone asks you, for instance, if you have siblings and, instead of saying „J’ai une soeur” (I have a sister), you will pronounce „J’ai une serre” (I have a greenhouse / I have a claw), they will certainly guess what you mean.

Of course, funny situations and misunderstandings are natural part of learning a foreign language but you would like above all to communicate and correctly convey your communicative intentions instead of amusing or embarrassing your French speakers, wouldn’t you? 🙂

The conclusion suggests itself: while getting to know a new French word, it is worth knowing its correct pronunciation. Otherwise, there is a risk that you may communicate to your interlocutor something different from what you intended…

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) – is it worth learning?

The symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are used to transcribe the pronunciation of any word from any language. Their knowledge may be very helpful in correctly „reading” the pronunciation of French words. You can find the phonetic transcription of the words in most of online French dictionaries. You can also use online converters of French texts to IPA symbols. However, in order to correctly read these symbols, you should first learn to distinguish and correctly pronounce the corresponding French sounds.

Examples from real lessons

Below, I have collected chosen pronunciation errors made during my lessons by students of different French level, which changed the meaning of their speech.

Example 1

Incorrect (too open) pronunciation of the sound [ə], which doesn’t exist in Polish, prevents from distinguishing in speech between the singular (le) and plural (les) nouns.

Examples 2

A similar error prevents from hearing the difference between the présent and passé composé (a) and between the imparfait and passé composé tenses (b).

Examples 3

Here, incorrect pronunciation of the vowel [ə] in „je”, „se”, „de” and „jeter” radically changes the meaning of the speech.

Examples 4

The above errors are due to incorrect pronunciation of the vowel sound [œ] (in the words „soeur” and „coeur”), which doesn’t exist in the students’ mother tongues.

Example 5

The reason of the change of meaning is incorrect pronunciation of the vowel sound [ø] in the word „oeufs” (probably non-existent in the students’ mother tongues).

Examples 6

The above two examples illustrate how important is training the pronunciation difference between the French nasal vowels [ɔ̃] (left column) and [ɑ̃] (right column).

Examples 7

The meaning of the speech may also be changed due to incorrect (too open) pronunciation of the French „close o”.

Examples 8

More accumulated French „e variants” (points a, b, c) or other „problematic” vowels (points d, e) within a word, phrase or sentence may increase the likelihood of making pronunciation errors that will change the meaning of your utterance.

 Your pronunciation is your showcase…

Careless pronunciation may not only change the meaning of your speech.

1) Repetitive pronunciation errors always negatively influence the aesthetic qualities of spoken French language. Yet, many learners who consciously chose French as a foreign language did it because of its beautiful sound! Even if incorrect pronunciation doesn’t always impact on the communication effectiveness, not distinguishing in speech the French „e variants” or inaccurate pronunciation of other typically French vowels (like [y] in „tu” or the „ close o”)  deprives French language of its „phonetic relief” and makes it sound „flat”, because you cannot hear all the richness of vowel sounds, so typical of this language.

2) Frequent pronunciation errors make your French sound as if it were at a lower level than it actually is. I presume that you would like your speaker to properly assess and appreciate your actual French level. Correct French pronunciation will help you to strengthen your professional image at workplace and in the eyes of your clients or business partners, as well as to stand apart from others and attract better career opportunities. At the same time, correct pronunciation will protect you from blunders, awkward slips, mistakes, confusion and misunderstanding: while speaking, you will feel more confidently. I would also like to remind that pronunciation is taken into account in the final score of oral French examinations (A-level [the Polish matura], DELF, DALF). Read about it on the website France Éducation International, video, minute 4:50-5:03 https://www.france-education-international.fr/actualites/lettre-fei/2022-10/delf-dalf-de-nouvelles-grilles-pour-une-evaluation-au-plus-pres-des-competences-des-candidats?langue=fr

A bunch of conclusions…

I hope that I have convinced you to pay attention to correct French pronunciation and to learn it.

At the beginning, French pronunciation may seem difficult but when you get familiar with its rules and acquire correct pronunciation of French vowel sounds, learning French pronunciation may become a game with sounds and an exciting challenge during your French adventure, especially when you additionally master phonetic transcription. Understanding the French pronunciation rules is an asset that pays off at every stage of your learning French. Nothing will give you greater satisfaction and motivation than producing, from the very beginning of your learning, all the diversity of French vowel sounds, which you can polish in the later stages of learning French, instead of reinforcing your incorrect habits!

All you need to acquire correct French pronunciation are awareness, knowledge, motivation to training and attentiveness while speaking. Remember that good level of French language does not only mean fluently speaking but also correct pronunciation, which influences the grammar correctness and the meaning of your speech. Don’t let your incorrect pronunciation undermine your efforts in learning French grammar and vocabulary!

And this is not about acquiring a native-like accent, although it turns out that it is also possible: you can listen to Andrzej Seweryn, a Polish actor who performed for years at La Comédie Française theatre in Paris and, thanks to his phonetic trainings and determination, practically reached a native-speaker-like pronunciation! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTLE06o4GsM&ab_channel=LimenDocs

There are quite a lot of French pronunciation rules but they are clear, they really work, and there are very few exceptions (unlike, for example, in English). Many people consider French pronunciation to be much more difficult than English pronunciation. Nothing could be more wrong: learning the French pronunciation rules practically gives you 100 percent guarantee that you will correctly pronounce and read every new French word.

If you have a question on this or another subject, send me a message.