@R0Y90 Bonjour ! In everyday speech, especially in the Paris region, there is often very little distinction between those two nasal vowels. In the "Standard" pronunciation demonstrated in this video, the nasal vowel of "temps" is pronounced with the jaw wide open in the back of the oral cavity. The nasal vowel of "ton" is also back, but it uses rounded lips and is not as open. For you to be able to discern the difference, I think you simply need more exposure to the two sounds. Bon courage !
Your videos have helped me out tremendously! Thank you! The hardest phrases are the ones that require the nasal vowels, for example "Il en a eu une" or "J'ai en a un".
@sanjurophotography Bonjour et merci de votre commentaire ! Just a quick note about your second example above: Do you mean "J'en ai (eu) un"? I'll try to incorporate similar forms in future videos.
@andreskizzo Bonjour ! The "un" is like "in" in Parisian speech, whereas in other regions, you might hear it as an "in" with rounded lips. I have recently added a video on the "un" which demonstrates the difference.
Bonjour Madame:), I'm about to move to Angouleme in France to look for a job and need to improve my french. I have to say that your video are really the best I found on the internet. Really! Easy (well, some sounds are really nasty for a foreign guy), friendly and esaustive.
I absolutely love your videos. I'm an opera singer trying to work on my French diction and currently preparing for my first opera in French - Romeo et Juliette by Gounod... and you're videos have been so very helpful in reminding me for the difference between the nasal vowels. Merci!!! :-)
Hi Cheryl .. Your videos are absolutely fantastic. I would be grateful if you could take us through the rest of the vowels but with explanations in English as beginners like me who are just starting to learn vocabulary and pronunciation it's a bit difficult to understand the videos in french. Thanks
@MrAdawoodi Bonjour ! Thank you for your feedback. I try to make videos for all levels, so some of my explanations are in French. Beginners in the language might find my newer spelling-sound correlation videos helpful. I plan to make more of them soon. Merci et bonne continuation !
Je voudrais partager mon expérience. Je ne suis pas français. En théorie les voyelles nasales n’éxistent pas dans ma langue maternelle. Donc, certains professeurs de français (qui ne sont pas de locuteurs natifs) ainsi que d’étudiants confondent les voyelles nasales /ɑ̃ ɛ̃ ɔ̃ œ̃/ avec la consonne nasale /ŋ/. J’ai essayé de leur parler des erreurs, mais en vain. Par exemple, ils prononcent « un bon vin blanc » /aŋ boŋ vaŋ blaŋ/. Qu'en pensez-vous ?
@akumaunonton Bonjour ! Votre exemple démontre clairement la façon dont un locuteur s'y prend pour prononcer un son qui n'existe pas dans sa langue maternelle. Il est tout à fait naturel de substituer le son de la langue maternelle qui se rapproche le plus du son de la langue étrangère. Il arrive même parfois que le locuteur ne distingue pas la différence entre les deux sons. On doit entendre cette différence afin de pouvoir corriger la prononciation. Merci de votre commentaire.
I've only been learning French since 6 months on my own with book and CDs. This lesson is extremely valuable to help me differentiate the subtle sound changes. Thank you very much!
@frenchmotorbike Bonjour and thank you for your comment. I agree wholeheartedly that phoneticians have traditionally taught the four French nasal vowels. However, living languages evolve over time, and with today's extensive media usage, the language seems to be changing faster than ever. For example, a new phonetics manual published last year for the Sorbonne totally disregards the traditional /œ̃/ ("un") and teaches it as /ɛ̃/. The main difference is in the degree of lip rounding.
@frenchsounds La grande majorité des habitants de la moitié sud de la France, soit près de 21 millions de locuteurs distinguent parfaitement /œ̃ / et /ɛ̃/ Enseigner que c'est le même son est une ERREUR manifeste que l'on trouve effectivement dans des manuels rédigés à Paris. Mais Paris n'est pas la France et le français est plus riche que la langue que l'on y parle. Je suis linguiste comme vous et attaché à la précision de la langue.
@romondesbert Bonjour et merci d'avoir apporté des précisions importantes à ma réponse précédente. Je me ferai un plaisir d'ajouter une vidéo sur le /œ̃ /, tout en stipulant que la majorité de mes étudiants en cours privés veulent apprendre le français parisien. Auriez-vous une étude récente à partager avec moi quant au nombre de locuteurs français qui articulent le /œ̃ / ? C'est une référence qui n'est pas à ma disposition.
@frenchsounds je n'ai pas d'étude récente à vous proposer. Vous pouvez consulter les ouvrages d'Henriette Walter, en particulier "Le Français dans tous les sens" qui comporte un chapitre riche sur les voyelles nasales et une cartographie de leur prononciation en France.
@romondesbert Merci de m'avoir répondu si vite. Je viens de retrouver dans mon bureau deux volumes d'Henriette Walter: celui que vous avez mentionné ainsi que son "Enquête phonologique et variétés régionales du français" qui datent tous les deux des années 80, avant que l'apport des nouvelles technologies n'ait pu influencer l'évolution de la langue. Je compte relire ces excellents ouvrages, mais j'aimerais mieux consulter une étude plus récente de la même envergure.
Salut et merci beaucoup! I have just discovered your videos and they are very comprehensible... I will be telling my little sister to watch them (she is just learning to speak French). I go to Southern France quite a lot which is where I learned to speak... now most of the sounds I make are nasal (maintenent = mangtenangt). However, one of my friends said I sounded Belgian when I spoke French. Should I try to correct this even though it will make conversations a lot slower?
@zoolassie Bonjour et merci de vos commentaires! One interesting aspect of languages is the enormous variation that exists during pronunciation. In these videos I use Standard French as a norm; however, individuals should try to adapt their pronunciation (as well as their syntactical and lexical usage) to the linguistic community with which they identify. It's done through imitation and correction by others. So, in southern France you should imitate your interlocutors as much as possible.
Thank you so much for this! I have a question about the vowel "in" though. I had always heard in one way in french class, so when I went to France I was a little surprised at the way they said this. A french woman counted us and said "vingt" but it sounded as if it were "vangt." Also, they said they were hungry as "J'ai fam" not "faim." They live in Caen, in Normandy. Is this a local accent that they have, or is french in general slowly slipping towards this pronunciation?
@swizzle2012 Bonjour! Thank you for your comment about the French / ɛ̃ /. Although I would need to hear the sound production to give you a definitive answer, I'm quite sure you were hearing either a regional or an idiolectal (specific to a person) variation of the sound. You have a good ear to have been able to perceive the difference!
Your beautiful smile and incredible willingness to teach make watching your videos a complete delight. I was wondering if you could do a video explaining certain specific vowel combinations. For example, you could discuss the specific sounds of the following: "en", "in" (with proceeding vowel), "in" (with proceeding consonant) "ein", "un", "ent", etc.
My French is pretty good, but I still struggle with this sometimes. I greatly appreciate your help and look forward to seeing more videos!
@alebeau4106 Bonjour, alebeau4106. C'est trop d'honneur que vous me faites. Based on your request, I think a video on spelling-sound correlations of nasal vowels would be appropriate. I'll add it to my list. Merci, et bonne continuation!
@alebeau4106 Bonjour de nouveau! I just uploaded a new video on spelling-sound correlations for "en" "an" "em" and "am". I hope it will be helpful. There will be additional videos forthcoming.
Salut Cheryl. Je suis Gustavo. J'etude français et je vous remercie votre commentaires et leçons sur la pronunciation, vos leçons sur les voyelles nasales en particulier sont très informatifs. A bientôt.
Thanks a lot, Cheryl! Yours explanations were crystal clear, as usual. I have a question about nasality. In my production of the nasal vowels I''ve noticed that no air comes out of my mouth. And if I pinch my nose the sound is blocked. So I guess I'm making them 100% nasal. Is it OK to do that? I also produce (and hear) the nasal sound in ain/ein/in spellings as a nasalized schaw. If I try to start from the vowel in "sat" as you say, I end up adding a / j / as in Portuguese "bem" [bêj].
@sergioanew Bonjour et merci de vos commentaires. Without hearing your pronunciation of those sounds, I can only surmise that your native articulatory habits are causing the differences. If you would like to send me a short audio file of your production of those sounds, I could give you a more complete answer.
I just.. can't hear the difference between 'temps' and 'ton'... Been trying for half an hour already x: Any tips?
R0Y90 2 weeks ago
@R0Y90 Bonjour ! In everyday speech, especially in the Paris region, there is often very little distinction between those two nasal vowels. In the "Standard" pronunciation demonstrated in this video, the nasal vowel of "temps" is pronounced with the jaw wide open in the back of the oral cavity. The nasal vowel of "ton" is also back, but it uses rounded lips and is not as open. For you to be able to discern the difference, I think you simply need more exposure to the two sounds. Bon courage !
frenchsounds 2 weeks ago
Your videos have helped me out tremendously! Thank you! The hardest phrases are the ones that require the nasal vowels, for example "Il en a eu une" or "J'ai en a un".
sanjurophotography 1 month ago
@sanjurophotography Bonjour et merci de votre commentaire ! Just a quick note about your second example above: Do you mean "J'en ai (eu) un"? I'll try to incorporate similar forms in future videos.
frenchsounds 3 weeks ago
@frenchsounds Exactement! Merci beaucoup et bisous du la sud de la France. :)
sanjurophotography 3 weeks ago
what sound does "un" make? like an or in?
andreskizzo 1 month ago in playlist Mais vídeos de frenchsounds
@andreskizzo Bonjour ! The "un" is like "in" in Parisian speech, whereas in other regions, you might hear it as an "in" with rounded lips. I have recently added a video on the "un" which demonstrates the difference.
frenchsounds 3 weeks ago
priceless!
myrddraalbg 1 month ago
Bonjour Madame:), I'm about to move to Angouleme in France to look for a job and need to improve my french. I have to say that your video are really the best I found on the internet. Really! Easy (well, some sounds are really nasty for a foreign guy), friendly and esaustive.
So... thank you;)
Guido
guipollini 2 months ago
I absolutely love your videos. I'm an opera singer trying to work on my French diction and currently preparing for my first opera in French - Romeo et Juliette by Gounod... and you're videos have been so very helpful in reminding me for the difference between the nasal vowels. Merci!!! :-)
NathanPStark 3 months ago
@NathanPStark Bonjour et merci de votre commentaire. J'adore l'opéra, et je suis ravie que mes séquences vidéo puissent vous aider!
frenchsounds 3 months ago
Hi Cheryl .. Your videos are absolutely fantastic. I would be grateful if you could take us through the rest of the vowels but with explanations in English as beginners like me who are just starting to learn vocabulary and pronunciation it's a bit difficult to understand the videos in french. Thanks
MrAdawoodi 4 months ago
@MrAdawoodi Bonjour ! Thank you for your feedback. I try to make videos for all levels, so some of my explanations are in French. Beginners in the language might find my newer spelling-sound correlation videos helpful. I plan to make more of them soon. Merci et bonne continuation !
frenchsounds 4 months ago
Merci beaucoup pour cette vidéo, Madame !
Je voudrais partager mon expérience. Je ne suis pas français. En théorie les voyelles nasales n’éxistent pas dans ma langue maternelle. Donc, certains professeurs de français (qui ne sont pas de locuteurs natifs) ainsi que d’étudiants confondent les voyelles nasales /ɑ̃ ɛ̃ ɔ̃ œ̃/ avec la consonne nasale /ŋ/. J’ai essayé de leur parler des erreurs, mais en vain. Par exemple, ils prononcent « un bon vin blanc » /aŋ boŋ vaŋ blaŋ/. Qu'en pensez-vous ?
akumaunonton 5 months ago
@akumaunonton Bonjour ! Votre exemple démontre clairement la façon dont un locuteur s'y prend pour prononcer un son qui n'existe pas dans sa langue maternelle. Il est tout à fait naturel de substituer le son de la langue maternelle qui se rapproche le plus du son de la langue étrangère. Il arrive même parfois que le locuteur ne distingue pas la différence entre les deux sons. On doit entendre cette différence afin de pouvoir corriger la prononciation. Merci de votre commentaire.
frenchsounds 5 months ago
Merci madame.
paneebud 6 months ago
I've only been learning French since 6 months on my own with book and CDs. This lesson is extremely valuable to help me differentiate the subtle sound changes. Thank you very much!
visvaldisX 8 months ago
Pardon Madame, but there are 4 nasal vowels in french, the 4 you have in the sentence: Un bon vin blanc: UN, ON, IN, AN
frenchmotorbike 8 months ago
@frenchmotorbike Bonjour and thank you for your comment. I agree wholeheartedly that phoneticians have traditionally taught the four French nasal vowels. However, living languages evolve over time, and with today's extensive media usage, the language seems to be changing faster than ever. For example, a new phonetics manual published last year for the Sorbonne totally disregards the traditional /œ̃/ ("un") and teaches it as /ɛ̃/. The main difference is in the degree of lip rounding.
frenchsounds 8 months ago
@frenchsounds La grande majorité des habitants de la moitié sud de la France, soit près de 21 millions de locuteurs distinguent parfaitement /œ̃ / et /ɛ̃/ Enseigner que c'est le même son est une ERREUR manifeste que l'on trouve effectivement dans des manuels rédigés à Paris. Mais Paris n'est pas la France et le français est plus riche que la langue que l'on y parle. Je suis linguiste comme vous et attaché à la précision de la langue.
romondesbert 7 months ago
@romondesbert Bonjour et merci d'avoir apporté des précisions importantes à ma réponse précédente. Je me ferai un plaisir d'ajouter une vidéo sur le /œ̃ /, tout en stipulant que la majorité de mes étudiants en cours privés veulent apprendre le français parisien. Auriez-vous une étude récente à partager avec moi quant au nombre de locuteurs français qui articulent le /œ̃ / ? C'est une référence qui n'est pas à ma disposition.
frenchsounds 7 months ago
@frenchsounds je n'ai pas d'étude récente à vous proposer. Vous pouvez consulter les ouvrages d'Henriette Walter, en particulier "Le Français dans tous les sens" qui comporte un chapitre riche sur les voyelles nasales et une cartographie de leur prononciation en France.
romondesbert 7 months ago
@romondesbert Merci de m'avoir répondu si vite. Je viens de retrouver dans mon bureau deux volumes d'Henriette Walter: celui que vous avez mentionné ainsi que son "Enquête phonologique et variétés régionales du français" qui datent tous les deux des années 80, avant que l'apport des nouvelles technologies n'ait pu influencer l'évolution de la langue. Je compte relire ces excellents ouvrages, mais j'aimerais mieux consulter une étude plus récente de la même envergure.
frenchsounds 7 months ago
Salut et merci beaucoup! I have just discovered your videos and they are very comprehensible... I will be telling my little sister to watch them (she is just learning to speak French). I go to Southern France quite a lot which is where I learned to speak... now most of the sounds I make are nasal (maintenent = mangtenangt). However, one of my friends said I sounded Belgian when I spoke French. Should I try to correct this even though it will make conversations a lot slower?
zoolassie 9 months ago
@zoolassie Bonjour et merci de vos commentaires! One interesting aspect of languages is the enormous variation that exists during pronunciation. In these videos I use Standard French as a norm; however, individuals should try to adapt their pronunciation (as well as their syntactical and lexical usage) to the linguistic community with which they identify. It's done through imitation and correction by others. So, in southern France you should imitate your interlocutors as much as possible.
frenchsounds 9 months ago
Thank you so much for this! I have a question about the vowel "in" though. I had always heard in one way in french class, so when I went to France I was a little surprised at the way they said this. A french woman counted us and said "vingt" but it sounded as if it were "vangt." Also, they said they were hungry as "J'ai fam" not "faim." They live in Caen, in Normandy. Is this a local accent that they have, or is french in general slowly slipping towards this pronunciation?
Thank you!
swizzle2012 9 months ago
@swizzle2012 Bonjour! Thank you for your comment about the French / ɛ̃ /. Although I would need to hear the sound production to give you a definitive answer, I'm quite sure you were hearing either a regional or an idiolectal (specific to a person) variation of the sound. You have a good ear to have been able to perceive the difference!
frenchsounds 9 months ago
Your beautiful smile and incredible willingness to teach make watching your videos a complete delight. I was wondering if you could do a video explaining certain specific vowel combinations. For example, you could discuss the specific sounds of the following: "en", "in" (with proceeding vowel), "in" (with proceeding consonant) "ein", "un", "ent", etc.
My French is pretty good, but I still struggle with this sometimes. I greatly appreciate your help and look forward to seeing more videos!
alebeau4106 10 months ago
@alebeau4106 Bonjour, alebeau4106. C'est trop d'honneur que vous me faites. Based on your request, I think a video on spelling-sound correlations of nasal vowels would be appropriate. I'll add it to my list. Merci, et bonne continuation!
frenchsounds 10 months ago
@alebeau4106 Bonjour de nouveau! I just uploaded a new video on spelling-sound correlations for "en" "an" "em" and "am". I hope it will be helpful. There will be additional videos forthcoming.
frenchsounds 9 months ago
Salut Cheryl. Je suis Gustavo. J'etude français et je vous remercie votre commentaires et leçons sur la pronunciation, vos leçons sur les voyelles nasales en particulier sont très informatifs. A bientôt.
ModelArtTavo 1 year ago
merci!!!
femilyrpy 1 year ago
Thanks a lot, Cheryl! Yours explanations were crystal clear, as usual. I have a question about nasality. In my production of the nasal vowels I''ve noticed that no air comes out of my mouth. And if I pinch my nose the sound is blocked. So I guess I'm making them 100% nasal. Is it OK to do that? I also produce (and hear) the nasal sound in ain/ein/in spellings as a nasalized schaw. If I try to start from the vowel in "sat" as you say, I end up adding a / j / as in Portuguese "bem" [bêj].
sergioanew 1 year ago
@sergioanew Bonjour et merci de vos commentaires. Without hearing your pronunciation of those sounds, I can only surmise that your native articulatory habits are causing the differences. If you would like to send me a short audio file of your production of those sounds, I could give you a more complete answer.
frenchsounds 1 year ago