French Nasal Vowels for English Speakers

When we speak of nasal vowels in French, we are referring to certain characteristically French vowel sounds that are produced by expelling air through the nose. All other French vowels sounds are pronounced mainly through the mouth, with no obstruction of the lips, tongue or throat. Nasal Vowels and Nasal Consonants Vowels followed by m or n, as in the words  un, on and an, are  nasal. Try to say them and youll see that air is expelled primarily through the nose, not the mouth. This doesnt hold  true, however, when the nasal consonants m or n are followed by another vowel. In this case, the vowel and consonant are both voiced. For example: un  Ã‚  Ã‚  nasalune  Ã‚  Ã‚  voiced There are also nasal vowels in English, but they are a bit different than French nasal vowels. In English, the nasal consonant (m or n) is pronounced and thus nasalizes the vowel that precedes it. In French, the vowel is nasal and the consonant is not pronounced. Compare the following: French  Ã‚  on  Ã‚  anEnglish  Ã‚  own  Ã‚  on French Vowels in General Overall, French vowels share a few characteristics:   Most French vowels are pronounced further forward in the mouth than their English counterparts.The tongue must remain tensed throughout the pronunciation of the vowel.French vowels do not form diphthongs, which is  a sound produced by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in  coin,  loud  and  side  ).  In English, vowels tend to be followed by a y sound (after a, e, i) or a w sound (after o, u). In French, this is not the case: The vowel sound remains constant; it does not change into a y or w sound. Thus, the French vowel has  a purer sound than the English vowel. In addition to nasal vowels, there are other categories of French vowels as well. Hard and Soft Vowels In French, a,  o, and  u  are known as hard vowels while e  and  i  are considered soft vowels, because of certain consonants (c,  g,  s) change pronunciation (hard or soft), in agreement with the vowel that follows them. If theyre followed by a soft vowel, these consonants become soft as well, as in manger and là ©ger. If theyre followed by a hard vowel, they, too, become hard, as in the name Guy. Vowels With Accent Marks Physical  accent  marks on letters, a required feature of French orthography,  can and often do change the pronunciation of vowels, as in the scores of French es with either accent  grave  (pronounced eh) or the acute accent  aigue (pronounced ay).