How to improve my pronunciation in French? [closed]

Question

I am looking for a good way to improve my pronunciation. It seems there are AI applications that can record my current way to speak, and propose improvements. The main app I found was elsaspeak but it is only available in English. Is there something similar available in French? What would be other methods to train myself (without necessarily going through a tutor). Thanks!

Answer 1

French has this particularity that in talking, a great number of cases of compulsory liaisons, optional liaisons, and forbidden liaisons are to be observed. The problem relative to this state of affair is that the application of the rules constitutes a gruesome task and that, in the end what you need is a dictionary of pronunciation so as to verify continuously whether a liaison is necessary or not. If you are seriously interested in the language you should avail yourself of such a dictionary; nevertheles it is easier to learn through listening; there is a great added benefit in doing a lot of listening, and that is that at the same time you increase your overall understanding and vocabulary. So, the best method that you might rely upon is the use of audio equipment so as to expose your ear to the sounds of the language as much as possible. You can do that in a work-like fashion, so many minutes everyday, helping yourself with a pronunciation dictionary in order to corroborate sound and theory, or in some other studious fashion that suits you; however, as nothing can replace those thousands of hours of exposition that make a mother tongue what it is for each one of us, you should strive to do as much passive listening as you can, when you are driving your car, riding your bus to work, washing in the morning, eating, walking your dog, etc. For this listening you should first select recordings of the best sort of pronunciation available so as preserve yourself from getting bad habits; you can later listen to everything as you'll then be able to discriminate and know better what to avoid.

Here is, for instance, the type of material you should use for your listening, this being only an example :

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzKF6cQlfRo,
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsMvUUAOnPw

this is meant only to give you an idea of what sort of "safe" material you should begin with. It is your problem to do the research and provide yourself with what you need. You will find spoken French of a good level in other domains of conversation, more down to earth, it is a matter of doing the research (live radio programs, TV programs, news, nursery rhymes, …).

There is for instance a very clean sort of elocution and style of French in the narrator's comment in the amusing series of cartoons called Les Shadoks.

Les Shadocks.

As a complement to this listening exercise (and, important, re-listening) repeat to yourself what you hear, construct sentences and speak them aloud when you are sure the pronunciation is right, any time, anywhere, speak French to yourself (when there is no risk of having people thinking that you are acting in a weird way, needless to say…) ; of course, if you have some friends that share you interest you might think about the possibility of speaking French with them; that is even better.

This way of practicing I quickly sketched for you might sound like a solution à la Demosthenes, but much effort is needed if you wish to attain to a fluent level. Several years will be needed before you notice a real improvement.