English Accents
How many different English Accents can think of? There has got to be thousands! I was born in a town where 5 miles down the road, there was a different accent and that was in one small district. You could be visiting this site and using your Spell and Sound French Chart from any where in the world, so how can the English words used to express French sounds accommodate every English accent in the world?
The English words representing sounds in your French Charts have been carefully chosen to cross accent boundaries in most English speaking countries such as USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Occasionally, one of the English equivalent words will not match the sound. English has between 42-46 language sounds or phonemes (most experts agree that there are 44), so there are bound to be some variations within your chart.
How do I know if I’m making the right sound?
- Listen to French Sounds to check if you’re getting the sound right. If you follow the link to the Listen to French Sounds page, you will notice a number of tables with French vowels, consonants, nasal sounds, semi-consonants and commonly grouped sounds. Each table (except grouped sounds) contains International Phonetic Alphabet IPA symbols that represent French sounds. These IPA symbols are the same in your French Chart.
- Click on each IPA symbol and you will hear the sound that goes with that particular symbol. Find the symbol on your chart and there will be a word with red background somewhere close to this symbol. This English word contains a sound, which is underlined, that best matches the French sound indicated by the IPA symbol.
- Say the sound within the English word then hear the French sound that goes with it. Do they match?
- When the two sounds don’t match or you are unsure, speak to your teacher (if you have one). It can be difficult to hear some of the more subtle sounds of French and when we voice sounds, they can sound differently in our heads. If you don’t have a teacher, ask a friend if the sound you makes matches the French sound.
- If there is a difference between the French sound and English equivalent sound in your French Chart you can change the English equivalent word to a word that better fits the French sound.
Improving Spell and Sound French Charts
The continued improvement of Spell and Sound resources is important to me. If you have made any changes to your chart due to variations with the English word I’d love to hear about it. Information such as;
- which sounds were different, and
- the country or place your English accent is from
This information is extremely helpful and will allow me to make changes and improvements to the French Charts. You can contact me via my Contact Form
French Exceptions and your French Chart
Spell and Sound French Charts are packed full of pronunciation and spelling information. The French Chart with Examples contain so much information that the print is small to fit it all on one page.
There are numerous French examples that demonstrate pronunciation and spelling rules but still, I couldn’t fit every exception on to the chart. I am currently writing a number of articles about getting the most from your French Chart and explaining the rules already contained within your chart.
Spend a few minutes browsing through the pages here at spellandsound.com. You’ll find lots of support and information to enhance your learning experience.
As you find exceptions, add them to your chart and make it a living document that expands as your knowledge does. And, if you have the time, I’d love to know which exception you’ve discovered.
Be an active learner in our French Audio Lounge, where you can record and playback your own pronunciation and compare it with that of our French Native Speaker!
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