French - Spelling Rules

Question 1

What is the 1st spelling rule for French?

and

What is the exception?

Answer 1

Most final consonants are silent.

Except for consonants in CAREFUL

trafic [tʁafik]

golf [gɔlf]

Question 2

What are the nasal vowels?

How are the created and pronunceds?

How are they created?

Answer 2

The nasal vowels are: ɑ̃, ɛ̃, ɔ̃

ɑ̃-an : en, em, an, am

ɛ̃ - in : in, im, un, um, yn, ym, ein, ain, aim

ɔ̃-on : on, om

Question 3

What is the 2nd spelling rule for French?

Answer 3

The rule of liaisons

Laison: …est une….——-> est_une*

[ɛ]+[yn]——-> [ɛ tyn]

Question 4

What is the 3rd spelling rule for French?

&

When do you use them?

Answer 4

There’s a hard and soft pronouncition for: C, G, SC,

Hard: c-[k] g-[g] sc-[sk]

Soft: c-[s] g-[ʒ] sc-[s]

Hard: C/G/SC+ A, O, U, or other consonant

Hard: C/G/SC+ I, E, Y

Question 5

What is the 4th spelling rule of French?

Answer 5

Regarding nasal vowels: ɑ̃, ɛ̃, ɔ̃

To pronounce the nasal vowel you place and n or m after the vowel: a + n = an

[a] = [ɑ̃]

To make it silent you (1) put the m or n before another vowel or (2) you use to M’s or N’s in a row.

(1) ami [ami] friend
(2) gramme [gʁam] gram

Question 6

What are the French rounded vowels?

Answer 6

/y/ /œ/ /ɔ/ /ø/

/y/ - /i/ rounded : su [sy] known

/œ/ - /ɛ/ rounded : oeil [œj] eye

/ɔ/ - uh /ʌ/ rounded : botte [bɔt] boot

/ø/ - /e/ rounded : queue [kø] tail