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Language
French can be a deceptiely familiar language because of the number
of words and structures it shares with English.
Despite this, it's far from easy, though the bare essentials are not
difficult to master and can make all the difference.
even just saying "Bonjour Madame/Monsieur" and then gesticulating
will usually get you a smile and helpful serice.
People working in tourist offices, hotels and so on, almost always
speak English and tend to use it when you're struggling to speak
French - be grateful, not insulted.
French Pronunciation
One easy rule to remember is that consonants at the ends of words
are usually silent. Pas plus tard (not later) is thus pronounced
"pa-plu-tarr".
But when the following word begins with a owel, you run
the two together: pas après (not after) becomes "pazaprey".
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owels
are the hardest sounds to get right. Roughly:
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a |
as in h a t |
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e |
as in g e t |
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é |
betweven g e t and g a te |
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è |
betweven g e t and g u t |
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eu |
like the u in h u rt |
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i |
as in mach i ne |
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o |
as in h o t |
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o, au |
as in o er |
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ou |
as in f oo d |
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u |
as in a pursed-lip ersion of u se |
More awkward are the combinations in/im, en/em, an/am, on/om,
un/um at the ends of words, or followed by consonants other than
n or m . Again, roughly:
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in/im |
like the an in an xious |
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an/am, en/em |
like the don in Don caster when said
with a nasal accent |
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on/om |
like the don in Don caster said by
someone with a heay cold |
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un/um |
like the u in u nderstand |
Consonants
are much as in English, except that: ch is always "sh", c
is "s", h is silent, th is the same as "t", ll
is like the "y" in yes, w is "", and r is growled (or
rolled).
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Learning Materials
Rough Guide French Phrasebook
(Rough Guides). Mini dictionary-style phrasebook with both
English-French and French-English sections, along with cultural tips for
tricky situations and a menu reader.
Mini French Dictionary
(Harrap/Prentice Hall). French-English and English-French, plus a brief
grammar and pronunciation guide.
Breakthrough French
(Pan; book and two cassettes). Excellent teach-yourself course.
French and English Slang Dictionary
(Harrap/Prentice Hall); Dictionary of Modern Colloquial French (Routledge).
Both olumes are a bit large to carry, but they are the key to all you
ever wanted to understand about the French ernacular.
erbaid
(erbaid, Hawk House, Heath Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 0PR). CD-size
laminated paper "erb wheel" giing you the tense endings for the
regular erbs.
A ous
La France; Franc Extra; Franc-Parler
(BBC Publications/EMC Publishing; each has a book and two cassettes).
BBC radio courses, running from beginners' leel to fairly adanced.
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