What do you think of French vowels? Are they: awful, normal, rather / really beautiful? You don't know?
Is the difference between:
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les (z)ans and
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les gens
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impossible, difficult, easy to hear?
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Is the difference between:
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les (z)ans and
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les gens
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impossible, difficult, easy to pronounce?
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In your opinion, which is the most beautiful consonant?
In your opinion, which is the most awful consonant?
Have you ever observed a French-speaker's lips as they speak? The [ʒ] is a consonant you pronounce by pursing your lips, as you were blowing the candles out on a birthday cake. Many French sounds are pronounced at the front of the mouth, lips rounded and pursed.
The sound [ʒ] is written:
-« j »
-« g » (+ e, i, y)
- « ge » (+a, u, o; the vowels of "auto")
You can practise pronouncing the [ʒ], by sounding out the consonants that are pronounced using the same area of the mouth:
ʒuR
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Rəʒu
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siʒoz
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ʒozɛt
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ʒezit
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Start practicing!
You can imitate the examples:
- when repeating the example, try saying it fast and slow, yelling and whispering it.
- try repeating in time with the example, as precisely as possible.