What are Vowels? Vowels are the sounds which you make in your mouth without constricting the air flow.

Présentation au sujet: "What are Vowels? Vowels are the sounds which you make in your mouth without constricting the air flow."— Transcription de la présentation:

1 What are Vowels? Vowels are the sounds which you make in your mouth without constricting the air flow.

2 What are consonants? Consonants are sounds which are produced with some air constriction ex. closing your tongue against your teeth(t, d), putting your lips together(p,b)

3 When we pronounce the French vowels…
We need to think about how and where in the mouth they are pronounced: closeness and openness backness and frontness rounded and unrounded

4 French sounds can be tricky
There are about 16 vowel sounds in French They can be divided in 3 categories: 1. pure 2. nasal 3. semi-vowels

5 Long Vowels Short Vowels Similar English [a] [ə] not - nut [i] ---- sheep [e] [ɛ] wait - wet [o] [ɔ] coat - caught [u] moon

6 Pure vowels i, y ee vie, midi, lit, riz
General spelling: how it sounds: sample words i, y ee vie, midi, lit, riz u ee rounded rue, jus, tissu, usine é, et, final er and ez ey blé, nez, cahier, pied eu ey rounded jeu, yeux, queue, bleu e, è, ê, ai, ei, ais eh lait, aile, balai, reine œu, eu eh rounded sœur, œuf, fleur, beurre a, à, â ah chat, ami, papa, salade a, â ah longer bas, âne, grâce, château ou oo loup, cou, caillou, outil o, ô oh eau, dos, escargot, hôtel o aw sol, pomme, cloche, horloge e uh fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise

7 NASAL VOWELS (vowels followed by n or m)
en, em, an, am, aon, aen [ awn ] gant, banc, dent in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim, ein, eim, un, um, [ ahn ] pain, vin, linge en, eng, oin, oing, oint, ien, yen, éen un [ uhn ] brun, lundi, parfum on, om [ ohn ] rond, ongle, front

8 Semi-vowels phonetic spelling (how it sounds) sample words
oi, ou, w fois, oui, Louis ui, ee-we lui, suisse ill, y yuh oreille, Mireille