Introduction to French Phonics and Pronunciation

This class is a crash-course in a subject that is often neglected, but is necessary to speak and understand French: pronunciation.  A student who takes this class will have an introduction in how to speak French in a way French speakers can understand.

We will cover consonants, vowels, syllabication, spelling, and IPA transcriptions (to read the pronunciation guides in good dictionaries).

The class has three parts: consonants, vowels and syllables.

I will teach the course using comparative analysis and the Socratic method.  For sounds that are the same or similar in the two languages, they will be our cardinal sounds for how to understand sounds, then through certain exercises, we will articulate the new sounds.  

My teaching style is conversational and positive.  I give specific praise to responses in order to reinforce and reiterate concepts, as well as to keep morale up.  I am very directed towards the material, and am good at redirecting students toward the material in a congenial, and often entertaining manner.  I like students to participate exactly as much as they are comfortable with.  I work for them, and it is my job to teach them.  Any failures in learning is a failing on my part.  I am proud that even the most French averse students I have worked with report having enjoyed my classes, even though they hate the subject.

Students will participate by answering the Socratic questions, reporting on what they notice as they make sounds, and by performing certain articulatory exercises.

Consonants (21) - Place and manner of articulation + spelling conventions
Vowels (15) - Jaw height, tongue position, lip roundedness, oral/nasal + spelling conventions
Syllabication - how to break syllables in words and phrases

Consonant sounds will be taught first, in comparison to the English analogues.  IPA symbols found in dictionaries will be introduced for each sound, and the most common French spelling(s) for these sounds will be included.  

For example: The final consonant sound in the word "plage" in French is produced similarly to the /z/ sound, but the tip of the tongue is pulled back slightly past the alveolar ridge.  The IPA symbol for this sound is /ʒ/ and its most common spelling is the letter [ j ].

Vowel sounds will start with the cardinal vowels (/a/, /i/ and /u/) to learn about height, tongue placement and lip roundedness.  Next, the front unrounded vowels will be taught, then the back rounded vowels, and then the front rounded vowels.  Lastly, the nasal vowels.  Each vowel will be placed on a chart that represents the height, frontedness and roundedness of vowels, along with their IPA symbols and most common spellings.  

For example:  in the French word "route" the letters [ ou ] represent one sound that is made when the jaw is high in the mouth, the lips are round, and the tongue is toward the back of the mouth.  In dictionary phonetic transcriptions, it will be written as /u/.  "route" = /ʁut/ - It is like the "oo" sound in English, but the jaw is tighter, and the lip and jaws do not move during its articulation.  

For syllabication (breaking multi-syllables into their parts), we will look at isolated poly-syllabic words like "dynamiquement" and learn how to break them into their syllables (dy.na.mi.que.ment) and also how they would be transcribed in a dictionary /di.na.mi.k(ə).mɑ̃/.  Syllabication will also be shown at the phrasal level to show liaison (vous allez > /vu.za.le/) and enchainment (avec elle > /a.vɛ.kɛl/).