Practice the unrounded front vowels, ɛ vs a
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| This is the ɛ sound. And this is the a 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 ɛ. This is the ɛ sound in elle, lait, père and other words. |
| A is the a sound in chat, ami, là, and other words. |
| ɛ and a are called "front vowels" because they are pronounced with the highest part of the tongue positioned in the front part of the mouth. |
| In Lesson 2 we have learned how to make the ɛ sound: the tongue touches the bottom row of teeth. The muscles of your mouth should be more relaxed, and the mouth should be more open than [e]. |
| ɛ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ |
| ɛ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ |
| The French a sound resembles the æ sound in the word cat. |
| To make the a sound: the lips and teeth part slightly. Your tongue should be in the central part of your mouth, and the tip of your tongue should rest near your bottom teeth. |
| a |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a |
| a |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| a |
| The difference between these two sounds is also about how open your mouth is. |
| /a/ is pronounced with a more open mouth than /ɛ/. |
| When you say the vowel /ɛ/, like in elle, |
| your tongue is high up and towards the front of your mouth, |
| and your lips are slightly stretched. |
| For the vowel /a/, like in ami, |
| the highest point of your tongue is a bit lower, almost in the central part of your mouth |
| , and your lower jaw moves a little bit away from the upper jaw, which makes the mouth more open than /ɛ/. |
| So, Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| ɛ a. |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ a (enunciated). |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ a. |
| ɛ a. |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ a (enunciated). |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɛ a. |
| So, try to focus on the openness of the mouth when you pronounce these two sounds. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| paix/pas |
| (space for repetition) |
| paix/pas |
| sais/ça |
| (space for repetition) |
| sai/ça |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that's more open? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| a |
| (1) |
| a |
| And the more closed sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ɛ |
| (1) |
| ɛ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the relatively more closed sound, and which has the more open sound? |
| paix/pas |
| (1) |
| paix/pas |
| (1) |
| Paix has the more closed sound, and pas has the more open sound. |
| Let's try another. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| sais/ça |
| (1) |
| sais/ça |
| (1) |
| Sais has the more closed sound, and ça has the more open sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| vais/vas |
| (1) |
| vais/vas |
| (1) |
| Vais has the more closed sound, and vas has the more open sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. Which words have the more closed sound, and which have the more open sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| elle ne trouve pas la paix. |
| paix, pas |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Je sais ça. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| sais, ça |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| Je vais bien, et tu vas bien. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| vais, vas |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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