Learn Proper French Pronunciation With Liaisons

Learn Proper French Pronunciation With Liaisons Part of the reason that French pronunciation and aural comprehension are so difficult is due to liaisons. A  liaison  is a phenomenon whereby a normally  silent consonant  at the end of a word is pronounced at the beginning of the word that follows it. Examples of Liaisons The sound files below show words such as  vous  (you), which have a silent s at the end, unless they are paired with a word like  avez  (have). When this occurs, the s is pronounced at the beginning of the following word, creating a liaison in French. In each instance, the words on the left contain a silent letter at the end; the words on the right show how the usually silent letter at the end of the word is pronounced at the beginning of the following word, creating a liaison. The word or words are followed by a transliteration to help you pronounce the terms and phrases as you hear them. French Word With a Final Silent Consonant Liaison vous [vu] vous avez [vu za vay] ont [o(n)] ont-ils [o(n) teel] un [uh(n)] un homme [uh(n) nuhm] les [lay] les amis [lay za mee] Pronunciation Key Use this pronunciation key as a guide to help you get the most out of the previous sound files. a   fathere   bedee   meetu   fool(n)   nasal n In addition, consonants in  liaisons  sometimes change the pronunciation. For example, an s is pronounced like a z when it is used in a liaison. Liaison Rules The basic requirement of a  liaison  is a word that ends in a normally silent consonant followed by a word that begins with a vowel or  mute h. This does not mean, however, that all possible liaisons are necessarily pronounced. In fact, the pronunciation (or not) of liaisons is subject to very specific rules, and liaisons are divided into three categories: Required liaisons (Liaisons obligatoires)Forbidden liaisons (Liaisons interdites)Optional liaisons (Liaisons facultatives) If you are a beginner, study just the required  liaisons  and forbidden liaisons, as these are the essential. If youre more advanced, study all three sections. It may be boring, but your pronunciation and ability to communicate at different levels of formality will improve dramatically. Liaison vs.  Enchantment There is a related phenomenon in French called  enchaà ®nement  (linking). The difference between enchaà ®nement and  liaisons  is this:  Liaisons  occur when the final consonant is normally silent but is pronounced due to the vowel that follows it (vous  vs.  vous avez), whereas  enchaà ®nement  occurs when the final consonant is pronounced whether or not a vowel follows it, such as  pour  vs.  pour elle, which translates as for vs. for her. Note that  enchaà ®nement  is simply a phonetic issue, while the pronunciation of  liaisons  is based on linguistic and stylistic factors. Additionally, scan the pronunciation chart below to see how various letters are generally pronounced in French liaisons. Letter Sound D [t] F [v] G [g] N [n] P [p] R [r] S [z] T [t] X [z] Z [z]