6 ms·
While helping my children learn French spelling, I was horrified when I realized that there are 6 or 7 ways to write the sound [ɛ̃]: un in (im) [i]en ain aim ei
by isolli 6mo ago
While helping my children learn French spelling, I was horrified when I realized that there are 6 or 7 ways to write the sound [ɛ̃]:
un in (im) [i]en ain aim ein
- skydhash 6mo agoThe first one (un) is different from the others.
- isolli 6mo agoSo I've been told... but I could never hear the difference myself!
- skydhash 6mo agoThe first one is pronounced with an O shape with the mouth (like you would do with the word oh), and the others with more of a smile shape (like with the word see). It’s impossible to pronounce one like the other. I’m not a native English speaker and I gave up trying to pronounce th (father, through). Although I can hear the difference.
- strongpigeon 6mo ago> I’m not a native English speaker and I gave up trying to pronounce th (father, through). Although I can hear the difference. Why can't the Québécois count to four? Because there is a tree in the way.
- l-p 6mo agoThis has to be a regionalism because there're strictly identical to me, eg. in "Un train." /œ̃tʁɛ̃/ I say the two vowels exactly the same way. After a cursory search it seems my Parisian-ish accent is at fault: https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/Annexe:Prononciation/fran%C3%A7ais#Changements_historiques https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/Annexe:Prononciation/fran%C3%...
- arkh 6mo agoYup, very parisian. Love how then they almost mock how pain (bread) is pronounced in the south-west where you won't mistake the sounds between the words un pain.
- AStrangeMorrow 6mo agoArguably so is “aim/ein etc” and “in”, though more dialect dependent and more subtle. The former for me have a bit more exhale and round sound while the “in” are a tad drier. For example “fin” and “faim” are distinct for me. However “faim” and “feint”
- wat10000 6mo agoGotta get it right or you'll order some wind instead of some wine. (Did that once, and that's how the difference finally stuck for me.)
- throwaway894345 6mo agoWhat did the server bring to your table? A fan?
- wat10000 6mo agoThey understood what I meant, and then the French folks I was with had a long discussion with me about how it's not the same sound.
- throwaway894345 6mo agoYeah, I've been there. Apparently my pronunciation of "Chretien" (Christian) was indecipherable, and the French people I was speaking with clarified it for me by saying, "you're saying cray-tee-uh(n), but it's pronounced cray-tee-uh(n)"
- dolmen 6mo agoAnd note that "crétin" means "dumb", so mispronouncing "chrétien" can seriously go wrong. https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/cr%C3%A9tin https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/cr%C3%A9tin