American accent in French

LAA   Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:50 pm GMT
<<From the English 'r' point of view, what 'r' seems easier to you?>>
Sigma,
The English "r" to be seems to be very unique, or unusual, as most other languages have the rolled or uvular 'r'. This is one feature of English which hinders more rapid development in proper pronounciation of the majority of foriegn languages for native English speakers. I've heard it called "lateral" before, though I don't know why. I don't really have a word for it. But to answer your question, I think most English speakers find an uvular 'r' easier to pronounce. I've been rolling my 'r's since I was a little kid, but only because of my cultural background. Most Anglo-Americans seem to pronounce French 'r's better, either because it is easier for them compared to a rolled 'r', or because they are more inclined to put forth the necessary effort in French, as they hold French in high esteem, as the language of intellectuals and sophisticated ones, while they associate Spanish with the Third World immigrants who live in the U.S., or are economically poor neighbor to the south. I think that must be the reason. I know myself for one, am deeply disturbed when other Anglo-Americans butcher Spanish pronounciation. It's just a matter of laziness. If it were French, these white surburbanites would at least attempt to pronounce it half way decently, but they seem to carry some sub-conscious, unacknowledged disdain for Spanish, as it is the language of lawn mowers, hotel maids, and poverty stricken barrios in their eyes.

I find that the uvular "r" is more difficult, but that is only because of my lifelong exposure to Spanish.
Mark   Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:02 pm GMT
The "r" sound in Mandarin, or at least in some dialects, sounds very similar to the American "r". I don't speak Mandarin or any Chinese language, but have noticed this sound listening to people speaking Mandarin.
greg   Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:01 am GMT
Jérémy : « En Français "de France" en tout cas, nous ne roulant absolument pas les r ».
Absolument faux ! D'ailleurs tu te contredis à peine plus loin : « c'est ce que font encore parfois certaines personnes très agées ».





Jérémy : « Even thought some sounds may be different in France depending on where people are ("rose" is not pronounced the same in Paris and Toulouse), "r" is never rolled in French. »
Faux. Évidemment (voir plus haut).




Jérémy : « And the only people left doing it in France are either old people or people who are holding on to their regionalisms but it always sounds archaic to most French people. »
C'est un jugement de valeur qui ne vaut que ce qu'il vaut.
Sergio   Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:04 am GMT
Hi LAA,

Once again... you are mixing me with Sigma my friend.
For the rest of your comment, it is interesting to read this.
LAA   Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:57 pm GMT
Oh, sorry Sergio. I am afraid I did it again. I thought I even double checked this time. It's just that you're both from Mexico and your names start with "S". I'm sorry and I appreciate your patience.
Sergio   Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:07 pm GMT
No problem!!!...
Jérémy   Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:51 pm GMT
Greg, quand je dis qu'en France, nous ne roulons plus les "r", tu sais bien que c'est vrai, et le fait que je dise que certaines personnes agées le font encore ne change pas ce que je dis : ces personnes-la parlent encore un "vieux Français" mais tu ne me trouveras pas quelqu'un de jeune qui roule les "r" comme les personnes agées, cette manière de parler est de toute façon d'une époque révolue et n'existera probablement bientôt plus. Qui chante encore en roulant les "r" comme Edith Piaf ? Plus personne ... à part Mireille Mathieu, mais elle, c'est un cas à part !:p