Browse Hierarchy FRE5201: The Sounds of French

This introduction to the phonetics and phonology of the French language will equip you with skills to improve your pronunciation and understanding of spoken French. We will explore the gap between spelling and speech sounds in French and learn to transcribe spoken language more accurately using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). We will examine how speech sounds are produced (articulatory phonetics), placing particular emphasis on key differences with English to enhance your oral accuracy in French. You will also gain an understanding of the workings of phenomena such as vowel lengthening, liaison and elision (phonology), as well as stress, rhythm and intonation (prosody). The skills acquired in this module are highly transferable, enabling you to learn other languages more quickly and with greater ease.