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Lesson Transcript

This is the s sound, and this is the z sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, plus you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation!
I'm Doria, and this is French Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs.
First is s. This is the s sound in sur, ciel, ça, and other words.
z is the z sound in zéro, onze, deuxième and other words.
s and z are called "fricatives" because they are pronounced by forcing air through a narrow channel in the mouth, causing friction as the air passes through it.
Like in English, the French s is unvoiced but tends to be slightly crisper and more forward in the mouth. To make the French s sound, place the tip of your tongue close to your upper front teeth without touching them. Let the air flow smoothly over the tongue without engaging your vocal cords, to produce a crisp, unvoiced sound.
s
[3 sec pause]
s (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
s
s
[3 sec pause]
s (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
s
The French z is voiced, just like in English, but the vocal cords vibrate more consistently in French z than in the English z. To make the French z sound, place the tip of your tongue close to your upper front teeth without touching them. Let the air flow over your tongue while engaging your vocal cords to produce a voiced, buzzing sound.
z
[3 sec pause]
z (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
z
z
[3 sec pause]
z (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
z
The difference between these two sounds is about whether your vocal folds vibrate or not.
/s/ is voiceless, and /z/ is voiced
When you pronounce /s/, like in sous,
your vocal cords do not vibrate.
When you pronounce /z/, like in zéro,
your vocal cords do vibrate.
So, Listen to the difference and repeat after me.
s z
[3 sec pause]
s z (enunciated).
[3 sec pause]
s z
s z
[3 sec pause]
s z (enunciated).
[3 sec pause]
s z
So try to focus on whether your vocal folds vibrate or not when you pronounce these two sounds.
Listen and repeat or speak along with me.
Ready?
douce/douze
(space for repetition)
douce/douze
ils sont/ils ont
(space for repetition)
ils sont/ils ont
Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation.
Do you remember the sound that's voiced?
(3)
(2)
(1)
z
(1)
z
And the voiceless sound?
(3)
(2)
(1)
s
(1)
s
Let's practice.
Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the voiced sound, and which has the voiceless sound?
douce/douze
(1)
douce/douze
(1)
Douze has the voiced sound, and douce has the voiceless sound.
Let's try another.
(3 sec pause)
ils sont/ils ont
(1)
ils sont/ils ont
(1)
Ils ont has the voiced sound, and ils sont has the voiceless sound.
Let's try one more.
(3 sec pause)
poisson/poison
(1)
poisson/poison
(1)
Poison has the voiced sound, and poisson has the voiceless sound.
Now, listen to the following sentences. Which words have the voiced sound, and which have the voiceless sound?
(1 sec pause)
Il a acheté douze patates douces.
douze, douce
(3 sec pause)
Ils sont heureux quand ils ont du temps libre.
(3 sec pause)
ils ont, ils sont
(3 sec pause)
Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds.
Ce poisson contient du poison.
(3 sec pause)
poison, poisson
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