Regardless of one’s native language, learning English speaking presents challenges for many, especially when nuances of accent and pronunciation come into play. Perhaps, some English vowel and consonant sounds aren’t present in your native tongue. While some languages articulate each word independently and precisely, American English is rhythmic due to its word and sentence stress. This can be difficult for learners to grasp when determining where to place stress. The following paragraphs will delve into the most common English mispronunciations of French speakers.
In the same way, French speakers will encounter the same challenges as they learn to pronounce English clearly and effectively. Is French your native language? Are you on the journey to communicate fluently in English? More than likely, you’ve experienced a few of the same difficulties encountered by other French speakers. This brief article will open your eyes to some of the ways to conquer these challenges and pronounce American English more fluently.
One of the most common challenges for a French speaker is the American R sound. To articulate the American R sound, you can allow your tongue to rest in the middle of your mouth as you say, “AW”, then begin to curl the tip of your tongue upward and you will hear the R sound develop. In the English word “tomorrow”, you can begin by saying “tomo” then curl the tongue upward and finish with “row”. In the same way, you can begin pronouncing the word “experience” by saying “expee” then curl the tongue upward and finish with “rience”. Repetition is the ‘name of the game’! Practice these words by exaggerating the sounds and you will build strong muscle memory in your mouth causing you to naturally say them, and words like them.
Another commonly mispronounced sound is the voiced TH sound. Usually, a French speaker will use the “D” sound instead of the voiced “TH” sound. In American English, the voiced TH sound is articulated by placing your tongue on your front teeth, then allowing your vocal cords to vibrate as you make the sound: “TH”… “TH”… Practice words that have the “TH” sound, as you looking yourself in a mirror: Pronounce the words “These” and “those”. See how your tongue touches and vibrates on your teeth at the beginning of each word?
Similarly, the voiceless TH sound can be just as much of a challenge for French speakers as the voiced TH sound. The majority of the time, this sound is mispronounced with the “T” sound. The voiceless TH sound is articulated exactly like the voiced TH sound except the vocal cords are not used. As you place your tongue on your front teeth, you will push air through the tongue and teeth to create a quiet TH sound. Practice some words like “think” and “thought”. You should not use your vocal cords when pronouncing these words . Then, repeat until you pronounce the vowel sound that follows the “TH” sound. Articulating these sounds may be slightly challenging, but with concentration and practice, you’ll be pronouncing these TH words naturally before you know it!
As you proceed on your journey to English fluency, we’d like to make you aware of an extremely successful American English pronunciation program that will not only equip you with effective tools for overcoming these common French challenges, but it will ensure that you efficiently develop every pronunciation, intonation, and fluency tip possible. You will benefit immensely from your own personal pronunciation coach. Your coach will pin-point your specific challenges and encourage you with each improvement. This program will increase your cultural awareness of American expressions and topics as well. This incredible program is called ChatterFox.
