Les voyelles · petite clé de lecture
1 · Read /y/ and /u/ as sound symbols
French written u commonly represents /y/. French written ou commonly represents /u/. The IPA letter shape follows the sound system.
| tu /ty/ | you, addressing one person informally |
| tout /tu/ | everything, in the example below |
Tu prends tout ?Are you taking everything?
2 · Anchor /i/ in a familiar word
Use a word you know to remember a symbol. Ici /isi/ contains /i/ twice.
Je reste ici.I’m staying here.
3 · Keep /e/ and /ɛ/ distinct in the key
/e/ is the vowel in été /ete/. /ɛ/ is the vowel in mère /mɛʁ/. The tongue is lower for /ɛ/.
| été /ete/ | summer |
| mère /mɛʁ/ | mother |
4 · Read ø and œ as vowel symbols
Both describe rounded front vowels. /ø/ is more closed, /œ/ more open. The symbols name sounds; ordinary spelling uses groups such as eu and œu.
| peu /pø/ | little |
| peur /pœʁ/ | fear |
J’ai peu de temps.I have little time.
J’ai peur.I’m afraid.
5 · The tilde marks a nasal vowel
The small mark above the vowel belongs to that vowel. It adds nasal resonance. A separate /n/ would need its own symbol.
| bien /bjɛ̃/ | well: nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ |
| non /nɔ̃/ | no: nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ |
| sans /sɑ̃/ | without: nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ |
6 · Keep the label’s scope clear
A label beside a word transcribes that word. A transcription of a whole phrase also shows neighbouring sounds and connections. A dot can mark a syllable boundary.
| été /e.te/ | two syllables; the dot marks the division |
7 · Notice slashes and square brackets
Slashes usually give broad sound categories, as in /ty/. Square brackets give a phonetic transcription of a pronunciation, sometimes with extra detail. Read the reference’s notation guide when comparing labels.
| /ty/ | a broad transcription of tu |