Sons et lettres: A Pronunciation Method for Intermediate-level French

30 OPEN SYLLABLES Statistically speaking, French has a strong preference for ending syllables with a vowel sound instead of a spoken consonant, including at the ends of words. This tendency toward open syllables (syllables which end with a vowel sound, like see , weigh ; chou , faux ) is the opposite of English’s general preference for closed syllables (syllables which end with a consonant sound, like green , caught ; bouche , ferme ). These linguistic differences may make it easier to understand why final consonants usually go unpronounced in French. OVERVIEW In English, a consonant at the end of a word is usually pronounced. In French, of course, the general rule is just the opposite: a final consonant is normally silent. The purpose of this section is to review the basic rules concerning pronounced and unpronounced final consonants in French. Bear in mind that, in contradiction to the guiding principle of Sons et lettres , this is an area with many irregularities where French spelling can be misleading and challenging as a result. As an anglophone, one must learn to process these graphemes differently, and one must always be prepared for those cases that don’t follow the rules. With that caveat in mind, you can think of this feature of French spelling as an area with one general rule and three exceptions: General rule Final consonants are normally silent in French. Exceptions 1. At the end of a word, any consonant followed by the letters - e or - es is pronounced (but the - e is not). 2. InwordsborrowedfromEnglish, afinal consonant isusuallypronounced. 3. In words ending with the letters - c , - r , - f , or - l , the consonant is usually pronounced. REVIEW Unpronounced Final Consonants