Quiz 5 - E Caduc, Liaison, Semi-Vowel

h

-Always mute in French. Remember: th is pronounced [t] and rh is pronounced [r] -Normally after the letter h, the liaison and the elision are made, except with the h aspire

F muet en fin de mot

-Particular words Nerf, clef, cerf, serf -Special cases: In the words oeuf/oeufs, boeuf/boeufs, the f is pronounced in the singular but not in the plural

L muet en fin de mot

-Particular words: soul/saoul/cul -Words of more than one syllable ending in a consonant + -il fusil, sourcil, gentil, coutil, outil

R muet en fin de mot

-The infinitives ending in -er -The nouns and adjectives of more than one syllable Exceptions: L'amour [la mur] Hiver [i vɛr] Cancer [k sɛr] Amer [a mɛr] Enfer [ fɛr] La cuiller (also la cuillere) [la k i jɛr] Words borrowed from English: gangster, revolver Words ending in -eur: creature, directeur

C muet en fin de mot

-The words that end in a nasal vowel + c Banc, tronc, franc, vainc -Particular words Estomac, caoutchouc, clerc, tabac, porc

[ŋ]

-corresponds to gn (champagne, enseignement) Exception: In certain foreign words, gn is pronounced [gn] -The combination of letters -ing are pronounced [iŋ], but are only found in words derived from English (parking, jogging) Exception: The word shampooing is pronounced [ʃɑ̃ pwƐ̃]

[m]

-corresponds to m and mm

[n]

-corresponds to n and nn

When not to use a semi-vowel

-occlusive ([p], [t], [k], [b], [d], [g]) or [f]/[v] + liquide [r] or [l] + V + V

When not to use a semi-vowel (exception)

-occlusive or [f] + liquide + [ɥ] + [i] -truisme [try ism]

The liaison: interdite

1. After a singular noun 2. After a proper name 3. After the conjunction "et" 4. In front of an h aspiré 5. Before the words "onze" and "huit" 6. After interrogative adverbs comment, quand, & combien (exception: 1. Comment allez-vous? 2. Quand est-ce que? 7. After fixed words in the plural 8. Between the subject and what follows in the inversion (Sont-ils // arrivés?) 9. B/w two rhythmic groups 10. Before the semi-vowels [j] and [w] in foreign words 11. After an adjective or number that does not precede a noun and after an object pronoun that does not precede a verb.

The liaison: Facultative

1. After plural nouns 2. After verbs (unless in inversion and the imperative followed by a pronoun) 3. After the conjunctions (except et) 4. After prepositions/adverbs or more than one syllable

[x]

1. At the beginning of the word, x is pronounced [gz] (xylophone) 2. At the end of the word, x is always mute Exceptions: -In the foreign words it is pronounced [ks] (index) The letter x followed by e at the end of a word is also pronounced [ks] (taxe) 3. In the beginning of the word, x is pronounced [ks] before a mute consonant and [gz] between vowels Exceptions: -Between vowels, in the interior foreign or scholarly words, x is pronounced [ks] (taxi, Texas, Mexique, lexique) -In words derived from a word with [ks] you guard the mute combination (taxe & taxer)

The E caduc: interdite

1. At the end of a word 2. Proceeded by a pronounced consonant & followed by a pronounced consonant: samedi 3. Succession of syllables containing [ə] no. 2, 4, 6

The E caduc

1. E (without an accent) + written consonant + vowel 2. The words dessous, dessus, monsieur, faisant, faisan, faisans, faisions, etc. 3. Prefix re + ss (exception: ressusciter) 4. E + 2 consonants when the second is liquid (l/r)

The E caduc: facultative

1. Followed by [rj] or [lj], mostly in the verbal forms of the imperfect & conditional 2. To avoid double consonants

The liaison: obligatoire

1. In the nominal group b/w a determinant or adjective and a noun 2. Between the subject pronoun and the verb (in inversion or not) or the verb and other pronouns placed before the verb 3. After a monosyllabic adverb or preposition 4. After the conjunction "quand" (unless in inversion) and the relative pronoun "dont" and "tout" 5. In the fixed locations

Particular cases: words with two possible pronunciations

1. Particular words aout, le fait, le but, les moeurs 2. Numerals Cinq, six, dix, sept, and huit Pronounce the final consonant in the isolated word Before a vowel, there is enchainement for cinq, sept, and huit and liaison for six and dix Before a pronounced consonant, sept protects its final consonant, but cinq, six, dix, and huit lose it 3. Donc Before a consonant, donc is pronounced [dɔ̃] At the beginning of a sentence or before a vowel, donc is pronounced [dɔ̃k] 4. Tous The pronoun is pronounced [tus] (They are all here) The adjective is pronounced [tu] (All the children) 5.Plus -The -s of the word is always mute in: The negative The comparative or superlative of an adjective, adverb, or a noun before a consonant -The -s of the word is always pronounced in: The comparative or superlative at the end of a sentence The addition The liaison [z] is always obligatory before a vowel in the expression plus + phrase, plus + phrase -The -s of the word plus can be either pronounced or mute in: The comparative or the superlative of a verb if plus is not the last word of the phrase In the sense "more" In the expressions de plus, en plus, and au plus

Other pronounced final consonants

1. The endings -ct and -pt are pronounced in certain words (must be memorized) -kt, -pt pronounced tact, impact, direct, infect, strict, abrupt, contact, abject, indirect, district, script, concept -kt, -pt are not pronounced suspect, aspect, distinct, respect In certain words, 2 pronunciations are possible: exact, prompt 2. Words that come from foreign languages always keep the final consonant tennis, oasis, clown, Islam, rhum, stop, transit, vasistas, express (but not expres), spleen, Amsterdam, handicap, deficit 3. Scholarly words, or words that come from Latin, ending in -um, -us, and -en guard the final consonant album, forum, velum, radius, terminus, rebus, virus, amen, abdomen, specimen 4. Particular words fils, helas, mais, sens, cassis, gratis, bis, mars, ours, jadis, biceps, forceps, as, autobus, Anges, palmares, albatros, rhinoceros, index, gaz, net, chut, zut, dot, est, ouest, sud (but not nord), brut, bifteck, cap, coq, un os (but not les os)

[f], [v]

1. The letter [f] corresponds to the letters f, ff, and ph 2. The sound [v] corresponds to the letter v and the letter in some words derived from German 3. Particular cases: the letter f is pronounced [v] in the two expressions neuf ans and neuf heures

The E caduc: obligatoire

1. The pronoun of the direct object le: finis-le! 2. Proceeded by 2 consonants an followed by a pronounced consonant 3. No 1, 3, 5 if there is a succession of syllables containing [ə] Exception: the fixed groups (je te, parce que, ce que) 4. Before the h aspiré

[ʃ], [ʒ]

1. The sound [ʃ] corresponds almost always to the letters ch, sch, and sh But there are some words in which ch is pronounced [k] 2. The sounds [ʒ] corresponds to the following letters -j -g followed by i, y or e (Gigi, Égypte, âge)

The sounding of a consonant

1. We encounter this frequently in words containing the combination [ks], represented by the letter x. This letter, normally [ks], is always pronounced [gz] between vowels -examen, exode, exigeant

[p], [b], [t], [d]

1. [d] is pronounced [t] in liaison 2. The combination th is pronounced [t] because the letter h is always mute, but in the words that stem from Greek, the combination th is mute: asthme, isthme

[l] and [r]

1. [l] corresponds to l and ll Particular cases: -The letter l is not pronounced after au or in the words fils and pouls -L is sometimes pronounced [j] 2. [r] corresponds to r, rr, and rh

The de-sounding of a consonant

1. bs and bt become [p] -Exception: subsister [syb zi ste] 2.Also see de-sounding in: je pense [ʃpɑ̃ns] & je te vois [ʃte vwa]

[g]

1. g, gg followed by a consonant sound or the letters a, o, or u -The letter g followed by e, i, or y are pronounced [ʒ] 2. gu before e, i, y -Exceptions: the letters gu are pronounced [gɥ] before [i] in a limited number of words -In other words, the letters gu before [a] is pronounced [gw] -c, when the sound [k] becomes [g] by the assimilation of tone (second, anecdote)

[k]

1. k, ck 2. c, cc before a consonant sound or the letters a, o, u -The letter c before i, y, e is pronounced [s] 3. cc before i or e pronounced [ks]: occident, accent 4. ch in a limited number of words: psychologies, chaos 5. qu, cqu -Exceptions: the letters qu are pronounced [kw] before [a] in a limited number of words -In other words, the letters qu before [i] are pronounced [kɥ]

[s]

1. s at the beginning of the word 2. s at the end of the word, when the letter is pronounced (it is almost always mute) ex: as, hélas 3. ss b/w two vowels ex: passe 4. s followed by or preceded by a pronounced consonant in the interior of a word ex: moustique, autopsie 5. s preceded by a nasal vowel and followed by a vowel (oral or nasal) ex: penser 6. c, sc followed by the letter i or e ex: citer, ce, science, scène Note: the letters sc followed by a, o, or u are pronounced [sk] ex: scandale 7. ç 8. x in the words soixante, Bruxelles, six, dix 9. t followed by i + a pronounced vowel in the interior or at the end of certain words. In other words, t in this combination is pronounced [t]. If there is a [t] in English, there is one in French (modesty/modestie). If the English word contains a [s] or a [ʃ], you pronounce [s] in French (diplomacy/diplomatie) 10. -tion (the ending) is pronounced [sjɔ̃]: nation Exception: -stion = [stjɔ̃]: question 11. -tier (the ending) is pronounced [sje] in the infinitives, but -tier/-tiere are pronounced [tje]/[tjɛr] in nouns and adjectives Note: The ending -tième is always pronounced [tjɛm]: trentième

[z]

1. z 2.s in b/w two vowels Exception: If a prefix ending in a vowel is added to a word starting w/ [s] plus a pronounced vowel, the pronunciation of this [s] does not change ex: social/antisocial 3. s in the prefix trans-, when this precedes a vowel ex: transalpin 4. x, s in liaison

The liaison: Interrogatives with "est-ce que"

Facultative

The liaison: pas, plus, trop, vers, fort

Facultative

The liaison: Comment allez-vous? Quand est-ce que?

Obligatoire

The liaison: après + infinitive passe

Obligatoire