Uvular Differentiation
In French, there exists multiple versions of the uvular consonant even though they are all represented by the same letter "r."
In this page, we will cover the four Uvular consonants that exist in French. Note that the fourth sound - the uvular trill - only exists in some dialects of French. So if you are unable to do this sound, it is 100% okay to replace it with the "voiced uvular fricative."
In this page, we will cover the four Uvular consonants that exist in French. Note that the fourth sound - the uvular trill - only exists in some dialects of French. So if you are unable to do this sound, it is 100% okay to replace it with the "voiced uvular fricative."
Voicing
One key phonetic concept you should be aware of is "voicing". Voicing is a key feature of a consonant sound.
You voice a consonant when you vibrate your vocal chords as you say it. The sound is voiceless when your vocal chords are inactive. The easiest way to get this is to say out loud "I will understand French sounds." Now, whisper the same sentence. That is the difference between voiced and voiceless.
You voice a consonant when you vibrate your vocal chords as you say it. The sound is voiceless when your vocal chords are inactive. The easiest way to get this is to say out loud "I will understand French sounds." Now, whisper the same sentence. That is the difference between voiced and voiceless.
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Voicing is what distinguishes:
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Here's the ultimate point I'm driving at with all of this:
Whenever an uvular consonant is combined with a voiceless consonant (/f/, /t/, /k/, or /p/), the uvular consonant is ALSO voiceless.
If you think about it, it should make perfect sense. Since you are essentially articulating two sounds at the same time, it's impossible to voice one and not voice the other. Keep this in mind as you learn new words on your own and have to figure out which rhotic sound is being made.
If you think about it, it should make perfect sense. Since you articulate two sounds at the same time, it is impossible to voice one and not the other.
Whenever an uvular consonant is combined with a voiceless consonant (/f/, /t/, /k/, or /p/), the uvular consonant is ALSO voiceless.
If you think about it, it should make perfect sense. Since you are essentially articulating two sounds at the same time, it's impossible to voice one and not voice the other. Keep this in mind as you learn new words on your own and have to figure out which rhotic sound is being made.
If you think about it, it should make perfect sense. Since you articulate two sounds at the same time, it is impossible to voice one and not the other.
1) Voiceless Uvular Fricative /χ/
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You are most likely to hear this in combination with one of the other voiceless consonants. Listen closely to the audio file below and try to mimic me as I articulate the following syllables: fχa....tχa....kχa....pχa.
2) Voiced Uvular Fricative /ʁ/
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Just like its voiceless brother, the voiced uvular fricative /ʁ/ always occurs in combination with other voiced consonants. You may have a tendency to do a voiceless /χ/ in these combos. Listen to the audio and try to mimic as I articulate: vʁa...dʁa...gʁa...bʁa.
3) Voiced Uvular Approximant /ʁ*/
'Approximant' means that you place two articulators just close enough together to change a sound, but not enough to block airflow.
Take the /w/ sound from the word "why." This is an approximant sound because you bring your lips together, but not all the way. A bit further and you would have a /b/ or /p/ sound.
So, a uvular approximant /ʁ*/ is when the back of your tongue moves close enough to the uvula but doesn't touch it. The resulting sound is a softer version previous consonant /ʁ/.
Take the /w/ sound from the word "why." This is an approximant sound because you bring your lips together, but not all the way. A bit further and you would have a /b/ or /p/ sound.
So, a uvular approximant /ʁ*/ is when the back of your tongue moves close enough to the uvula but doesn't touch it. The resulting sound is a softer version previous consonant /ʁ/.
Even though there is no meaningful difference between the /ʁ/ and a /ʁ*/, there is an important distinction flow-wise.
The /ʁ*/ usually occurs when someone is speaking faster, since it takes less time and energy to articulate. You are also more likely to hear this /ʁ*/ sound at the END of a syllable. You could do a fricative /ʁ/ as well, but it would sound less authentic. So to hone true mimicry skills, you want to tune your hear to hear this distinction.
Take the example below from "Alors on Danse:"
The /ʁ*/ usually occurs when someone is speaking faster, since it takes less time and energy to articulate. You are also more likely to hear this /ʁ*/ sound at the END of a syllable. You could do a fricative /ʁ/ as well, but it would sound less authentic. So to hone true mimicry skills, you want to tune your hear to hear this distinction.
Take the example below from "Alors on Danse:"
ɥi...di...a...si...dɑ̃...la...mɛʁ*...də
4) Uvular Trill /ʀ/
You will not see the Uvular Trill in this course because it is dialectical, difficult to speak and replaced by a fricative /ʁ/ with most French speakers. Nevertheless, it is important to expose you to it now as you will sometimes hear it, depending on who you interact with.
For a 'trill,' you place the back of the tongue against the uvula and move air to cause the uvula to vibrate on its own. Some people can do it already - it's the cat purr sound people do when they try to act sexy. It took me a good week of purring before I first got it.
For a 'trill,' you place the back of the tongue against the uvula and move air to cause the uvula to vibrate on its own. Some people can do it already - it's the cat purr sound people do when they try to act sexy. It took me a good week of purring before I first got it.
Final Comparisons
Before we move on, we need to confirm that you are able to tell the difference between these uvular consonants. The distinction you will struggle with most is between the voiced and voiceless fricative sounds. In the audio below, I alternate between these two sounds in isolation and in real French words. Listen and try to spot the differences.
There you have it - this is all the information you will ever need to master the uvular consonants of French. All the information in this bootcamp is just for reference. Later, you will have to fool around with these sounds on your own to really figure them out.
And after you get a basic grasp of these sounds, it's just a matter of practice and repetition. Once again, that's why we do the Flow training through music. Each time you sing a song with the proper articulation, authentic speech becomes physically easier.
These uvular sounds will inevitably feel awkward now, but as you progress through the course, they will soon become as natural to you as any other sound in English.
And after you get a basic grasp of these sounds, it's just a matter of practice and repetition. Once again, that's why we do the Flow training through music. Each time you sing a song with the proper articulation, authentic speech becomes physically easier.
These uvular sounds will inevitably feel awkward now, but as you progress through the course, they will soon become as natural to you as any other sound in English.
Once you are comfortable with everything here, you may move on to the drills at Uvular Combo Training
