Nasal Control
As you discovered on the last page, nasal vowels already exist in English even though we don't realize it. So there's no actual physical challenge to creating a nasal vowel in isolation. It's more of a mental task of building an awareness of that movement.
The real challenge in French Nasal Vowels is in the rapid alternation between nasal and oral vowels in regular speech.
The nasal vowels occur rather frequently in French, which means you will have to contract and relax your velum quickly to keep up with normal French speech.
As a native English speaker, you lack the motor coordination and velar control to switch between oral and nasal vowels at the speed that Native French speakers do. Therefore you cannot master them without developing your Nasal Control.
Think about it this way. You can move your big toe back and forth the same way you your thumb back and forth. But you can move your thumb back and forth A LOT faster than you can do your toe.
Why? Because throughout your life, you have used your thumb a lot more than you used your toe. And a French person uses his or her velum a lot more than you do, so it's going to be a lot stronger.
Don't be discouraged: you can increase your velar control to that of a French speaker in less than two weeks of training.
After all, we're just talking about a tiny muscle in the back of your mouth. Human beings developed control of much more complex muscle groups than this one. It would be absurd for you to think that velar control is beyond your reach.
The techniques below are based off of those used by musicians to build their hand and finger speed for playing fast tempo music.
The real challenge in French Nasal Vowels is in the rapid alternation between nasal and oral vowels in regular speech.
The nasal vowels occur rather frequently in French, which means you will have to contract and relax your velum quickly to keep up with normal French speech.
As a native English speaker, you lack the motor coordination and velar control to switch between oral and nasal vowels at the speed that Native French speakers do. Therefore you cannot master them without developing your Nasal Control.
Think about it this way. You can move your big toe back and forth the same way you your thumb back and forth. But you can move your thumb back and forth A LOT faster than you can do your toe.
Why? Because throughout your life, you have used your thumb a lot more than you used your toe. And a French person uses his or her velum a lot more than you do, so it's going to be a lot stronger.
Don't be discouraged: you can increase your velar control to that of a French speaker in less than two weeks of training.
After all, we're just talking about a tiny muscle in the back of your mouth. Human beings developed control of much more complex muscle groups than this one. It would be absurd for you to think that velar control is beyond your reach.
The techniques below are based off of those used by musicians to build their hand and finger speed for playing fast tempo music.
Build Speed
The Rally drill is for boosting your max speed of the nasal-oral switch.
- Start by alternating slowly between the nasal vowel and the oral equivalent.
- Gradually build the speed until you are going as fast as you can. You will eventually burn out.
- Try to make it last at least 10 seconds before you burnout
- Each burnout is a set. Do 5 sets in a row per training session for each nasal vowel.
- Do at least two sessions a day, with one session being before you go to sleep.
ɛ vs. ɛ̃ |
ɔ vs. ɔ̃ |
ɑ̃ vs. ɑ |
Build Endurance
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In this drill, you will find a fast but comfortable speed and focus on your endurance.
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Practice these two drills daily for a bit and you will notice DRASTIC improvements in your ability to mimic French sounds at normal speed. Nasal vowels should not feel belabored; they should be easy and natural.
If they don't feel easy and natural to you, then you need to continue this training until they do. Remember, with enough practice you WILL see improvement.
You'll know that you've had a good session if your velum is actually sore at the end. Let this remind you that your speech organ is just another group of muscles. Just like your quadriceps or pectoral muscles, these speech organ muscles can be trained and strengthened through drilling. Whatever soreness you feel today will translate into newfound strength tomorrow.
I call this section "Boot Camp" because you need to have the proper physical condition before I can send you into the field of real French speech. So do yourself a huge favor and take these drills seriously.
If they don't feel easy and natural to you, then you need to continue this training until they do. Remember, with enough practice you WILL see improvement.
You'll know that you've had a good session if your velum is actually sore at the end. Let this remind you that your speech organ is just another group of muscles. Just like your quadriceps or pectoral muscles, these speech organ muscles can be trained and strengthened through drilling. Whatever soreness you feel today will translate into newfound strength tomorrow.
I call this section "Boot Camp" because you need to have the proper physical condition before I can send you into the field of real French speech. So do yourself a huge favor and take these drills seriously.
Once you have finished the material on this page, you may move on to The Submission Page
