Which syllable is stressed in French? Features of pronunciation. Grammatical features of the French language

Unlike the Russian language, in which the stress can fall on any syllable of a word and even move depending on the form of the word (nogá - nogi), in French the stress in an isolated word always falls on the last pronounced syllable:

chocolat [ʃɔ-kɔ-΄la], discuter, nationalité

Stress in the speech stream rhythmic group and rhythmic stress

Stress in the speech flow in French is distributed completely differently than in Russian.

In Russian, when words are combined into semantic groups, each word of such a semantic group retains its stress. Compare: ΄He΄writes.

΄He΄writes | business letter.

In French, the stress in the speech flow is carried by the semantic group as a whole, and not by individual words. That is, the semantic group becomes a group of one stress (rhythmic group). This means that in a French phrase there will be as many stresses as there are rhythmic groups with stress on the last syllable (and not as many words as in Russian). Compare:

Il écrit.

Il écrit | une lettre officielle.

The rhythmic group is:

    An independent word with function words related to it:

Une assiette

Il bavarde

Nous ne cryons pas

    Defined word with defining words preceding it:

C'est une très bonne galette.

    A qualifying word followed by a monosyllabic qualifying word:

Il parle bas

une jeune fille brune

    Historically established sayings and groups of words that express one concept:

soixante-dix

tout le monde

Note. To correctly place stress in French, you need to remember the basic rule of French rhythm: there are no two stressed syllables in a row in a rhythmic group. Consequently, any significant word preceding a monosyllabic word that completes a rhythmic group loses its emphasis. For example:

Je bavarde [ǝ-ba-΄va:rd].

But: Je ne bavarde pas [ǝ-nǝ-ba-vard-΄pa]

Additional emphasis

In French there is not only a rhythmic stress placed on the last syllable of a rhythmic group, but there is also a secondary stress (and often secondary stresses) appearing in long rhythmic groups.

Additional stress should be placed on odd syllables, if counted from the end of the rhythmic group. The additional stress is not the main one (which is the rhythmic one) and differs in pitch, not in strength:

Madame Pascal n'est pas occupée.

Dansez-vous? [´´dᾶ-se-´vu]

Il ne bouge pas.

Additional stresses also occur within one word:

L'organisateur [´´lɔr-ga-´´ni-za-´tœ:r].

LINKING SOUND IN THE SPEECH STREAM

In the French flow of speech, it is difficult to understand where the boundary between words in a sentence lies, since the words are not separated from each other, as happens in Russian, but, on the contrary, merge together.

This “merging” of words is explained by such typical phonetic phenomena of the French language as clutch(enchainment), voicetying(liaisonvocalique) and tying(liaison) sounds in the speech stream. It is thanks to these three phonetic phenomena of French speech that a continuous flow of sounds occurs from pause to pause and produces that very impression of the musicality of French speech, known to many.

The phonetic system of the French language includes 36 phonemes: 16 vowels, 17 consonants and 3 semivowels. There are only 42 phonemes in the Russian language. Despite the slight difference in quantitative ratio, however, the phonetic systems of these two languages ​​have large differences.

In French, vowel sounds predominate, while in Russian, consonants predominate. French sounds are characterized by greater clarity and stability of articulation.

In consonants absent stun And mitigation(the exception is two phonemes - [k], [g]); for vowels - absent reduction, i.e. change in the quality of a vowel in an unstressed position (for example, the word dresser pronounced in Russian [kamot], in French this word would be pronounced as [chest of drawers]).

Pace French speech faster than Russian. French accent fixed, it is always falls on the last syllable a single word, phrase or entire phrase.

The French language has the following feature. Words in speech often lose their independence, their stress and phonetic boundaries. In other words, they seem to merge into a single whole, the so-called rhythm group, which has a common semantic meaning and a common stress that falls on the last vowel. At the same time, this happens often, but not always. There are certain rules by which this connection of words occurs.

When reading a rhythmic group, be sure to follow two important rules: cohesion and linking. To learn to hear, distinguish and understand words in a stream of French speech, you need to know these two phenomena.

Clutch- this is a phenomenon in which a pronounced consonant located at the end of one word forms one syllable with a vowel at the beginning of the next word (elle aime, j'habite, la salle est claire).

Binding- this is a phenomenon in which the final unpronounceable consonant is pronounced by connecting with the vowel located at the beginning of the next word. Examples: c'est elle or à neuf heures.

Now let’s take a closer look at the rules for reading words in French. The main rules are as follows:

  1. the stress always falls on the last syllable of the word;
  2. letters -s, -t, -d, -z, -x, -p, -g(and their combinations) are not read in words if they appear at the end (mais, agent, fond, nez, époux, banc);
  3. letter -e at the end of the words it is not readable. If there is any diacritic mark above it, it is always readable, no matter where it stands.
  4. the ending is never read -ent verbs in the present tense (3l. units h) (ils parl ent);
  5. letter l always softens, reminiscent of Russian [l];
  6. double consonants are read as one sound (pomme)
  7. before the consonant sounds [r], [z], [Ʒ], [v], stressed vowels acquire longitude, which is indicated in transcription by a colon ( base)
  8. In French the letter h never read (except in combination ch), but plays a specific role in pronunciation:
  • acts as a separator if it stands in the middle of a word between vowels, and indicates their separate reading (Sahara, cahier, trahir);
  • with the dumb h, standing at the beginning of the word, a link is made, and a vowel is dropped (l‘hectare, ils habitent);
  • before aspirate h the binding is not done and the vowel sound is not dropped (la harpe, le hamac, les hamacs, les harpes).
  • in dictionaries words with aspirate h are indicated by an asterisk (*haut).

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Let's start with the rules of reading. I just beg you: don’t try to learn them right away! Firstly, it won’t work - after all, there are a lot of them, and secondly, it’s not necessary. Everything will settle down over time. You can just look at this page periodically. The main thing is to read them carefully (maybe more than one sitting), look at the examples, try to do the exercises and check yourself - next to the exercises there is a sound - how the French pronounce the same words.

During the first six lessons, in a separate tab you will find a cheat sheet for all French reading rules, so you will always have all the material from this page in a compressed form at your fingertips. :)


During the first six lessons, in a separate tab you will find a cheat sheet for all French reading rules, so you will always have all the material from this page in a compressed form at your fingertips. :)


The main thing you need to remember is that the reading rules There is. This means that, knowing the rules, you can always - almost always - read an unfamiliar word. This is why French does not require transcription (only in the case of fairly rare phonetic exceptions). The beginnings of the first five lessons are also devoted to reading rules - there you will find additional exercises to consolidate skills. Starting from the third lesson, you can download the sound and listen to detailed explanations of the reading rules made by a professional phonetician.
Let's start learning :) Let's go!

In French, the stress ALWAYS falls on the last syllable... This is news to you, isn't it? ;-)

-s, -t, -d, -z, -x, -p, -g (as well as their combinations) at the end of words are NOT READABLE.

Vowels

e, è, ê, é, ё under stress and in a closed syllable it is read as “e”: fourchette [buffet] - fork. “But there is a nuance” (c) that can be neglected at the initial stage. Reading a letter e in all its guises is discussed in detail in the third lesson from the very beginning - I must say, there is a lot there.


e V unstressed syllable reads approximately like the German "ö" - like the letter "e" in the word Möbius: menu [menu], regarder [rögarde]. In order to make this sound, you need to stretch your lips forward like a bow (as in the picture below) and at the same time pronounce the letter “e”.


In the middle of words in an open syllable, this letter is dropped completely during pronunciation (e is fluent). So, for example, the word carrefour (crossroads) is read as [kar "fur] (the unstressed "e" in the middle of the word is not pronounced). It would not be a mistake to read it [karefur], but when you speak quickly, it falls out, as it turns out to be a weak sound . Épicerie (grocery) is read as [epis"ri].- [madeleine].

Madeleine metro station in Paris


And so - in so many words. But don’t be afraid - weak “e” will fall out on their own, because this is natural :)



This phenomenon also happens in our speech, we just don’t think about it. For example, the word “head”: when we pronounce it, the first vowel is so weak that it falls out, and we practically do not pronounce it and say [glava]. I’m not even talking about the word “eleventh”, which we pronounce as [one] (I discovered this in my son’s notebook; at first I was horrified: how could so many mistakes be made in one word, and then I realized that the child simply wrote this word down by ear - we really pronounce it that way :).


e at the end of words (see exceptions below) is not read (it is sometimes pronounced in songs and poems). If there are any icons above it, it is always readable, no matter where it stands. For example: régime [mode], rosé [rose] - rose wine.


In monosyllable words e at the end of words it is read - if it is not read there, a syllable cannot be formed at all.


These are articles, prepositions, pronouns, demonstrative adjectives: le [le], de [de], je [zhe], me [мё], ce [сё]. Unreadable ending-s , forming the plural of nouns (something familiar, right?) and adjectives, if it appears, does not make a letter-e


at the end of the word readable: régime and régimes are read the same - [mode].-er at the ends of words it is read as "e": conférenci er at the ends of words it is read as "e": conférenci[entertainer] - speaker, ateli at the ends of words it is read as "e": conférenci[studio], dossi at the ends of words it is read as "e": conférenci[dossier], canotier, collier, croupier, portier and, finally, foyer [foyer]. You will find -er at the end of all regular verbs: parl at the ends of words it is read as "e": conférenci[parle] – talk, mang [manzhe] - there is;-er


is the standard ending for French regular verbs. a


- reads like “a”: valse [waltz]. i

(including with icons) - reads like "and": vie [vi] - life (quickly remember "C" est la vie" :). o – reads like “o”: locomotive [locomotive], compote


[compote] - fruit puree. u reads like the "yu" in the word "muesli". Example: cuvette is read [ditch] and means “ditch”, parachute [parachute] - means “parachute” :), the same happens with purée (puree), and c configuration


(jam). To make an open sound “u”, use the combination ou


(this is familiar from English: you, group [group], router [router], tour [tour]).

Souvenir [souvenir] - memory, fourchette [buffet] - fork, carrefour [carrefour] - crossroads; pronouns nous (we) read [well], vous (you and you) read [vu]. read softly: étoile [etoile] - star, table [table] - table, banal [banal] - banal, canal [channel], carnaval [carnival].

g read like "g", but before e, i And y it is read as "zh". For example: général - read [general], régime [mode], agiotage [excitement]. A good example is the word garage - read [garage] - first g before a reads firmly, and the second g before e- like "w".

Letter combination gn read as [н] - for example, in the name of a city Cognac[cognac] - Cognac, in the words champi gn ons [champignon] - mushrooms, champa gn e [champagne] - champagne, lor gn ette [lorgnette] - binoculars.


c pronounced as "k", mas ca rade [masquerade], already mentioned by us co mpote and cu vette. But before three vowels e, i And y it is read as "s". For example: ce rtificat read [certificate], vélo ci pède - [bicycle], moto cy cle - [motorcycle].


If you need to change this behavior, that is, make this letter read like [s] before other vowels, attach a tail to it at the bottom: Ç And ç . Ça is read as [sa];

garçon [garson] - boy, maçon (mason), façon (style), façade (facade). The famous French greeting Comment ça va [coma~ sa va] (or more often just ça va) means “how are you”, and literally “how is it going”. In films you can see - they say hello like that. One asks: “Ça va?”, the other answers: “Ça va, Ça va!”. At the ends of words c is rare. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule about when to read it and when not to. This is simply remembered for each word - fortunately there are few of them: for example, blanc [bl "an] - white, estomac [estoma] - stomach and


tobacco[taba] is not readable, but cognac and avec are readable. h NEVER read. It's as if she doesn't exist. Except for the combination "ch". Sometimes this letter acts as a separator - if it occurs inside a word between vowels, then this indicates their separate reading: Sahara [sa "ara], cahier [ka "ye].

In any case, it itself is not readable. For this reason, by the way, the name of one of the most famous cognac houses Hennessy correctly pronounced (surprise!) as [ansi]: “h” is not readable, “e” is fluent, double ss is used to silence s and as double [s] is not readable (see below for the rule for reading the letter s); other pronunciations are categorically incorrect. I bet you didn't know that! :)

Combination ch gives the sound [w]. For example, chance [chance] - luck, luck, chantage [blackmail], cliché [cliché], cache-nez [muffler] - scarf (literally: hides the nose); ph


read as "f": photo. reads like a Russian "p": portrait [portrae]. In the middle of the word, the letter p before the t is not readable: sculpture [sculpture].


j- reads like a Russian "zh": bonjour [bonjour] - hello, jalousie [blinds] - envy, jealousy and blinds, sujet [plot] - plot.


s reads like Russian “s”: geste [gesture], régisseur [director], chaussée [highway]; between two vowels s is voiced and reads like “z”: fuselage [fuselage], limousine [limousine] - very intuitive. If you need to make s unvoiced between vowels, it is doubled. Compare: poison [poison] - poison, and poisson [poisson] - fish;


the same Hennessy - [ansi]. The rest of the consonants (how many of them are left? :) - n, m, p, t, x, z - read more or less obviously. Some minor features of reading x and t will be described separately - rather for the sake of order. Well and And n m

in combination with vowels they give rise to a whole class of sounds, which will be described in a separate, most interesting section.


Here is a list of words given above as examples - before doing the exercise, it is better to listen to how the French pronounce these words.

menu, regarder, carrefour, régime, rosé, parler, cuvette, parachute, confiture, souvenir, fourchette, nous, vous, étoile, table, banal, canal, carnaval, général, valse, garage, cognac, champignons, champagne, certificate, chance, théâtre, thé, portrait, sculpture, bonjour, sujet, geste, chaussée.

Are there any exception words in French where the stress is not on the last syllable? and got the best answer
Answer from VeroNika[guru]
The French language can be classified as an example of single-place strict stress, with a big caveat: if we are considering a single word. The reason is the syntagmatic essence of French stress: with it, the object of intonation is not a syllable, but a chain of words. In fact, in French there is no word stress in the flow of speech.

In “their” explanatory Dictionnaire de notre temps there is an example sentence next to the word “emphasis”:
What does this en général mean? - "Usually". And what would that mean? So, are exceptions possible?
All French people say goodbye from the Italian Tchao! (or Ciao!). Something, even in TV programs, I have never heard of anyone saying with an emphasis on the last syllable: ChaO! (everyone pronounces chao!)
You can listen here: link
I think that in some borrowings there are also such examples, for sure there are modern Anglicisms, in Perpignan I came across Spanish and Catalan words with an accent that is not French, but as in the original language (all French know our “KalInka”, although perhaps correctly They pronounce kalinka, but I constantly hear this word with “our” emphasis.
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Or here’s another example: when, for example, the child gets up with his “Pourquoi?”, the parent will yell with the emphasis not on the last syllable: “pArce que!” (I wanted to give an answer from one word, something doesn’t come to mind 🙂 (that is, when at the last one, then “en français, quand on parle SANS émotion, SANS affectation, SANS insistence expressive ou didactique, l'accent touche toujours la dernière syllabe du mot".
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In the Toulouse region, the spoken language is unique, including in pronunciation, for example, the final vowel “e”, which is not readable in the literary language, they have it like that -
Parisians have no difference between "poil" and "poëlle": both words are pronounced the same, and in Toulouse - "poil" will be so, but "poëlle" - with a final vowel - the vowel becomes “pronounceable” and the stress turns out to be in such words not on the last, but on the penultimate syllable.
But this cannot be considered in relation to the language as a whole - it’s a dialect!
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i-ma-ge - this word has 3 syllables, the stress in such words is not the last, but the penultimate one.
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Spanish chorizo ​​sausage for sale (maybe it’s correct to stress the last syllable, but I often hear it with the stress on I)

Answer from Eleni[guru]
No, but theoretically they can pronounce a foreign name this way.


Answer from 3 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Are there exception words in French in which the stress is not on the last syllable?