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French phonology is complicated by the diversity of dialects. This article aims at displaying a complete overview of French normal and possible phonemes and their most common allophones. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) used in spoken human language. ...
Phonetic (pho-NET-ic) is a nationwide voicemail-to-text messaging service available for most digital mobile phones in which a subscriber is provided a custom voice mailbox for the purpose of receiving all incoming voice messages as actual transcribed text for reading via short messaging (also known as SMS...
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Phonology (Greek phone = voice/sound and logos = word/speech), is a subfield of linguistics closely associated with phonetics. ...
A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variant, or variety, of a language spoken in a certain geographical area. ...
In human language, a phoneme is a set of phones (speech sounds or sign elements) that are cognitively equivalent. ...
In phonetics, an allophone is one of several similar phones that belong to the same phoneme. ...
Phonology
Vowels | IPA | Example (IPA) | Example (Written) | Meaning | Notes | | i | si | si | "if" | This vowel is normally short and tense, unlike the English vowel in meet (which is long) and if (which is the lax ɪ). [ɪ] is found as an allophone in Quebec French, however. | | e | pʁe | pré | "meadow" | In non-final position, this vowel and [ɛ] are almost allophones, much like in Spanish: [e] is found in open syllable and [ɛ] in closed ones (a syllable followed by a schwa is normally considered closed: évènement /evɛnmɑ̃/). | | ɛ | pʁɛ | près | "near" | In many regions of France, mostly in the South, this vowel is an allophone of /e/. In other regions, it is considered a different phoneme; standard (and Parisian) French clearly oppose the two phonemes at word endings /tɛ/ (taie, "pillowcase") and /te/ (thé, "tea"). However, /ɛ/ tends to be pronounced like /e/ in many other positions; for instance, it is almost systematically pronounced /e/ in monosyllables: c'est ("it's"), ces ("these"), ses ("his, its (plural)"), s'est ("is, reflexive form"), et ("and"), est ("is") all take /e/. | | sɛ:ʁ | serre | "greenhouse" | | ɜ | mɜ:tʁ | maître | "master" | This vowel is found in Quebec French, both as the phonemic evolution of the Old French /ɛː/ and as the allophone of /ɛ/ before /ʒ, ʁ, z/, (most noticeably in word-final position). | | y | sy | su | "known" | Quebec French has laxed allophones of all close vowels. Thus this vowel may be pronounced as [ʏ] in Quebec. Some Belgian dialects have also been reported to use [ʏ]. | | ø | sø | ceux | "these" | These vowels have the same allophonic division as /e/ and /ɛ/, whereas /ø/ is found in open syllables and /œ/ in closed ones. The few minimal pairs include jeune /ʒœn/ ("young") and jeûne /ʒøn/ ("a fast"). | | œ | sœʁ | sœur | "sister" | | ə | sə | ce | "this" | Whether /ə/ (Schwa), "e caduc" or "e muet" (mute) is a phoneme of French is controversial. Being more or less labialized, it is closer to [œ] than to an English [ə]. Modern labialized "e caduc" comes from an unlabialized schwa once used in Old French. It is always dropped ("muet") before any vowel. In colloquial speech, it may also be dropped in any other position (except when it would make the word difficult to pronounce). Interestingly, people from Quebec do not necessarily drop the same schwas as people from France. | | a | pat | patte | "leg" (of an animal) | This vowel has evolved in a more central position in modern European French in the process of merging with /ɑ/, but many dialects have kept these vowels separated. | | ɑ | pɑ:t | pâte | "dough" | This vowel, almost always long (unless in word-final position), is preserved in many dialects of French, notably in Quebec and Switzerland. | | u | su | sous | "under" | Quebec French has laxed allophones of all close vowels. Thus this vowel may be pronounced as [ʊ] in Quebec. | | o | so | sot | "silly" | Another pair of vowels that are being merged in some dialects. The grapheme "o" is subject to an allophonic repartition that produces [o] in word-final open syllables and [ɔ] in all others. For example: photocopie /fɔ.tɔ.kɔ.pi/, photo /fɔ.to/. However, "eau", "au" and "ô" are normally rendered /oː/ even in closed syllables in dialects that have conserved the opposition. An exception is "hôpital" ("hospital"), whose "o" is heard both as short [o] and [ɔ]. | | ɔ | sɔʁ | sort | "fate" | | ɑ̃ | sɑ̃ | sans | "without" | This vowel is frequently heard as [ã] in Quebec. Some dialects in Northern France have started to merge /ɑ̃/ and /ɔ̃/. | | ɔ̃ | sɔ̃ | son | "his, hers" (m sg) | One of the most stable of the nasal vowels. Has few known allophones. | | ɛ̃ | sɛ̃ | saint | "saint" | Many French people have merged [œ̃] and [ɛ̃]. This vowel is still separate from /œ̃/ in Quebec French, however, and has the allophones [ẽ] and [ĩ] | | œ̃ | bʁœ̃ | brun | "brown" | Many French people have merged [œ̃] and [ɛ̃]. This vowel is still separate from /ɛ̃/ in Quebec French, however, and has the allophone [ũ]. | The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) used in spoken human language. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
Old French is a term sometimes used to refer to the langue doïl, the continuum of varieties of Romance language spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland during the period roughly from 1000 to 1300 A.D...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ...
Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 75 24 Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 11. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
In linguistics and phonology, schwa is the neutral, mid central unrounded vowel sound, exactly in the middle of the International Phonetic Alphabet vowel chart. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 75 24 Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 11. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ...
Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 75 24 Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 11. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
Consonants Where symbols for consonants occur in pairs, the left represents the voiceless consonant and the right represents the voiced consonant. In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. ...
In phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lips and the upper teeth, or viceversa. ...
Dentals are consonants such as t, d, n, and l articulated with either the lower or the upper teeth, or both, rather than with the gum ridge as in English. ...
Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli (the sockets) of the superior teeth. ...
In phonetics, alveolo-palatal are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue between the alveolar ridge and the palate, but closer to the palate than for postalveolar consonants. ...
Palatal consonants are consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth). ...
In phonetics, the labialised palatal approximant is a consonant with two constrictions in the vocal tract: with the tongue on the palate, and rounded at the lips. ...
Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum). ...
Labial-velar consonants are doubly articulated at the velum and the lips. ...
Uvulars are consonants articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, that is, further back in the mouth than velar consonants. ...
A stop or plosive or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ...
The voiceless bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. ...
The voiced bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiceless dental plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiced dental plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiceless velar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. ...
The voiced velar plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
A nasal consonant is produced when the velum—that fleshy part of the palate near the back—is lowered, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. ...
The bilabial nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The dental nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The palatal nasal is a type of consonant, used in some spoken languages. ...
The velar nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
Fricatives (or spirants) are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. ...
The voiceless labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiced labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiceless alveolar fricatives are a type of consonantal sound. ...
The voiced alveolar fricatives are a type of consonantal sound. ...
The voiceless postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiced uvular fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
Approximants are speech sounds that could be regarded as intermediate between vowels and typical consonants. ...
The palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in very many spoken languages. ...
The labial-palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The labial-velar approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in certain spoken languages. ...
Laterals are L-like consonants pronounced with an occlusion made somewhere along the axis of the tongue, while air from the lungs escapes at one side or both sides of the tongue. ...
The alveolar lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
In phonetics, a voiceless consonant is a consonant that does not have voicing. ...
A voiced consonant is a sound made as the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to a voiceless consonant, where the vocal cords are relaxed. ...
Notes:
- /p/, /t/ and /k/ are never aspirated in French, unless one wants to indicate contempt.
- The grapheme r allows a wide range of allophones in French. [ʀ], [ʁ], [r], [ɾ], and [χ] will all be recognized as "r", but most of them will be considered dialectal. For example, [ʀ] is considered typical of a Parisian accent, while [r] is deemed typical of southern France and the Montreal area.
- The velar nasal is not a native phoneme of French, but occurs in loan words such as parking or camping. Many speakers (mostly old people and those who are not accustomed to this foreign sound) replace it with a [ŋg] sequence. In Quebec French, /ɲ/ is used instead, so these loanwords rhyme with ligne and signe.
- /ɲ/ is slowly disappearing in favor of a /nj/ sequence in some dialects
- [ɥ] and [w] in French are mostly allophones of [y] and [u] before a vowel. The only case where [w] contrasts with [u] is when there is a morphemic boundary, causing some forms of verbs ending in -oua ([ua] or [uɑ]) such as loua ("he rented") and noua ("he knotted, he tied") to contrast with words ending with the oi ([wa]) diphthong, such as loi ("law"), and noix ("nut").
The uvular trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiced uvular fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages (such as Spanish, Armenian, and Polish). ...
The alveolar tap/flap is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The voiceless uvular fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area - % water 366. ...
The velar nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
A loanword (or a borrowing) is a word taken in by one language from another. ...
Quebec French or Québécois French is a dialect of French spoken natively by the great majority (82. ...
In morpheme-based morphology, a morpheme is the smallest language unit that carries a semantic interpretation. ...
In phonology, minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language, which differ in only one phoneme, toneme or chroneme and have a distinct meaning. ...
Vowel-lengthening consonants The consonants (or phonemes, in the case of ʁ) /ʁ ʒ v z/ cause automatic lengthening of the previous vowels. While this is not phonemic in itself, it might cause vowels to change quality in dialects where short and long vowels are of different qualities.
Orthography French orthography is rendered complex by the abundance of exceptions, as well as by the need to separate homonyms and by the preservation of many historical spellings. Over time, French orthography has undergone several reforms, not all of which were successful or widely accepted. A homonym is one of a group of two or more words that have the same phonetic form (i. ...
The orthography of French was already more or less fixed, and from a phonological point of view outdated, when its lexicography developed in the late 17th century and the Académie française was mandated to establish an official prescriptive norm. ...
In addition, proper nouns may be exceptions to the rules, much as in English. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of place names with unpredictable pronunciation. ...
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