PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE 1
Open è and Open o
In addition to closed é and closed o which you have already practiced (words such as les, bureau), French has an open è sound and open o sound. French open è usually occurs in the interior of a word. It resembles the e in English bed, but is shorter and tenser. Repeat these words after the speaker:
|
cette |
|
mauvaise |
|
moderne |
|
ancienne |
|
laide |
|
quelle |
|
etagère |
|
adresse |
|
avec |
|
Genève |
|
bête |
In the interior of a word, open è can be represented by a syllable formed by a group of letters comprised of e + consonant. (ai, è, ê)
French open o also usually occurs in the interior of a word. It resembles the u in English bud, but is shorter and tenser, and is pronounced with the lips protruding and more rounded. Repeat these words after the speaker:
|
joli |
|
propre |
|
comment |
|
moderne |
|
notre |
|
bloc-notes |
|
logiciel |
|
copain |
|
école |
|
fromage |
|
chocolat |
|
pomme |
Note that open o is usually represented by the letter o in the interior of a word.