what tips are there for english people trying to get a proper french accent?

Question

i am learning french and don't want my english accent to show through. what tips would you have to pronounce a proper french accent?

eg: how to pronounce a french "R"

Answer 1

Best bet is to listen to people speaking and imitate it. Check out french CD's or movies from your library! you may not understand everything they say, or even half of what they say, but you can get a feel for how the language sounds in context and everything. Try using tapes, like the ones where they say a phrase and you repeat it back. Try having someone listen to you, and tell you how close you are. It might be hard to judge yourself.

Make sure you're not rolling the r's, if you've ever taken spanish you might be in that habit. It comes from farther back in your throat in french. It's hard to explain but the best way to learn is from listening and practice.

If you have a chance to go to france or even canada, use it to practice your french! and don't worry if you're not perfect. Just like in the US, the french have varying accents. For example, in the south of france they actually do roll their r's and it has a certain twang to it. It's kind of funny. If you want to hear that, check out the movie Manon des Sources with gerard depardieu.

Good luck! keep practicing.

Answer 2

Listening to native speakers and playing the "repeat after me" game is probably best. I'm learning French too, and I've found that "pooching" my lips and not moving my jaw so much helps get the softer sound. (I'm Californian born and raised and have a west coast accent to get over.)

My boyfriend, who is a native Francophone, tells me to just keep practicing. I might never get my "r"s in the back of my throat (feels like I'm gargling with gravel), but if I can get to the point where I flip my "r" on the tip of my tongue instead of rolling it (short roll, but there all the same), he says that my accent will just be mistaken for a dialect.

Answer 3

Well everyone else has pretty much answered the reat of your question so the R is pronounced at the back of the throat, in english you use your teeth and your lip, thats what makes you sound real anglo when you talk french. it's like a gerrr but you roll the R with your throat not your tongue... wow it's really hard to explain you should get someone to show you.
hope i helped a little

PS dont roll it on your tongue you;ll sound like a person of lower class. it's called joile, it's a bad french (quebec) dialect

Answer 4

Hi!

It is best to have someone to work with ... it saves a lot of time...


Peace & Love