Practice the semi-vowels or semi-consonants, ɥ, w, j
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| This is the /ɥ/ sound, this is the /j/ sound, and this is the /w/ 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 ɥ. This is the ɥ sound in huit, lui, aujourd'hui and other words. |
| w is in Louis, moi, oiseau and other words. |
| j is in yeux, bien, fille and other words. |
| These three sounds are called "semi-vowels or semi-consonants." |
| To make the ɥ sound: |
| Try to pronounce the /y/ sound first and then move very rapidly to pronounce the following vowel. You can check Lesson 6 for how to pronounce /y/. |
| Let's practice some words. |
| (produce the ɥ sound slowly) |
| (produce the ɥ sound slowly) |
| huit |
| [3 sec pause] |
| huit (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| huit |
| nuit |
| [3 sec pause] |
| nuit (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| nuit |
| To make the w sound: |
| Try to pronounce the /u/ sound first and then move very rapidly to pronounce the following vowel. |
| You can check Lesson 5 for how to pronounce /u/. |
| Let's practice some words. |
| (produce the w sound slowly) |
| (produce the w sound slowly) |
| Louis |
| [3 sec pause] |
| Louis (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| Louis |
| oiseau |
| [3 sec pause] |
| oiseau (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| oiseau |
| Finally, the j sound: |
| It is the same sound as the beginning of the English word yes. |
| Let's practice some words. |
| (produce the j sound slowly) |
| (produce the j sound slowly) |
| travail |
| [3 sec pause] |
| travail (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| travail |
| fille |
| [3 sec pause] |
| fille (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| fille |
| You may have noticed, the difference between /ɥ/ and /w/ is really the difference between /y/ and /u/. |
| We have learned in Lesson 7 that the difference between y and u is the tongue position. |
| y is a front vowel, and u is a back vowel. |
| So try to focus on the tongue position when you pronounce /ɥ/ and /w/. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| Louis/lui |
| (space for repetition) |
| Louis/lui |
| nuit/nouille |
| (space for repetition) |
| nuit/nouille |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound where the tongue is positioned in the front? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ɥ |
| (1) |
| ɥ |
| And the sound where the tongue is positioned in the back? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| w |
| (1) |
| w |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the front semi-vowel, and which has the back semi-vowel? |
| Louis/lui |
| (1) |
| Louis/lui |
| (1) |
| Lui has the front semi-vowel, and Louis has the back semi-vowel. |
| Let's try another. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| oiseau/huit |
| (1) |
| oiseau/huit |
| (1) |
| Huit has the front semi-vowel, and oiseaux has the back semi-vowel. |
| Now listen to the following sentences. Which words have the front semi-vowel and which have the back semi-vowel? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| Lui, c'est mon ami Louis. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Louis, lui. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Aujourd'hui, je vais boire un café. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aujourd'hui, boire |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Il y a huit oiseaux dans le jardin. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| huit, oiseaux |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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