Linguistics

A bit of background for this language that we love.

Linguistics

Acute Accent: é

French accentIn French, E is the only letter that can be modified with l'accent aigu, the acute accent. With the accent, it may be called either e accent aigu or simply é, pronounced [e]. As indicated by the latter, the acute accent changes the vowel's pronunciation to [e].

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Linguistics

Circumflex: â, ê, î, ô, û

French circumflexThe circumflex, aka "little hat," is the only French accent that may be found on each of the five vowels. In any given word, the circumflex may serve one or more purposes.

   

Linguistics

Development of the French Language

French is a Romance language, but it has a number of characteristics that set it apart from the other members of its linguistic family. Here is an extremely simplified synopsis of its development.

   

Linguistics

Français au Canada

Le français au Canada
Dans quelles provinces canadiennes parle-t-on le français ? La question en elle-même peut être source de confusion.

   

Linguistics

Français dans le monde

Le français dans le monde
Le nombre de Francophones atteint aujourd'hui 220 millions, ce qui fait du français la deuxième langue de l'Union européenne et la neuvième mondiale.

   

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International Phonetic Alphabet

French interntional phonetic alphabetThe International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA, is a set of characters used to standardize pronunciation explanations across languages. It uses a unique symbol for each sound, which makes discussions of different languages much easier.

   

Linguistics

Introduction to French

Introduction to FrenchIf you're just starting to learn French, you might find it interesting to learn some basics about French linguistics and grammar.