French—Issues in Applied Phonology, Phonetics, and Pronunciation

This overview of the key issues in French applied phonology, phonetics, and pronunciation begins with a description of the sounds of French, focusing first on segmentals (i.e., vowels and consonants) before considering suprasegmental features of French, including connected speech, stress, and rhythm. Standard Northern Metropolitan French is used as the starting point, with references to other varieties of French provided when relevant. It also examines common pronunciation issues for second-language (L2) learners of French and briefly summarizes the research conducted on L2 French pronunciation to date. Gaps in L2 French pronunciation research are highlighted and suggestions for future directions are offered.