In the word "les", although the final "s" is not sounded when followed by a consonant, is it still shaped in the mouth? I am wondering why the letter becomes audible before a vowel.
les livres /le livr/
les livres ("s" in "les" is silent)
les autres /le zotr/
lesz-autres ("s" in "les" is pronounced as "z")
I understand how to apply the rule for liaison but I was wondering if there is a phonological explanation for it. I want to know the same thing for all letters that are usually not sounded except when the next word starts with a vowel. I have a text book which states that liaison also occurs after numbers:
cinq livres /sõ livr/
cinq livres ("q" in "cinq" is silent)
cinq autres /sõ kotr/
cinqk-autres ("q" in "cinq" is pronounced as "k")
So again, in this example, is the "k" shaped by the mouth but not sounded when followed by a consonant?
Apologies for any spelling or pronunciation mistakes.
EDIT
There seems to be too much focus on the word cinq. I was just looking for an example that ended in a letter other than s. I want to know about the phenomenon as a whole, not focus on specific examples, whether they are right or wrong. Also, I can only understand French if it is very, very simple. Respondez en anglais, s'il vous plait! Respond in English please!
q
de cinq se prononce dans cinq livres