French 1001 - Pronunciation
North Georgia College & State University
Department of Language & Literature
Dr. Chesnut


The Three Nasal Sounds In French

 
Nasal "e"
Nasal "a"
Nasal "o"

Written letters: in, im, yn, ym, ain, aim
 
Written letters: en, em, an, am   Written letters: on, om
Examples
vin
vingt
simple
symhonie
main
peindre
Examples
vent
exemple
lampe
tante
tente
ample
Examples
vont
oncle
long
Londres
compris
tromper

Contrasting The Three nasal Sounds


 
Contrast of Nasal "e" with Nasal "a"

The mouth is more open for nasal "a" than for nasal "e."

Contrast of Nasal "e" with Nasal "o"

For nasal "o", the lips are rounded and pushed forwarded, and the sound is made in the very back of the mouth.

Contrast of Nasal "a" with Nasal "o"

For nasal "a" the mouth is more open than for nasal "o." For nasal "o" the lips are rounded and pushed forward.

Examples
vin     vent
teint      temps
peint        pan

 
Examples
vin     vont
main     mon
plein       plomb
Examples
vent        vont
lent          long
temps      ton