The Pronunciation of Canadian French Douglas C. Walker

[Pages:148]The Pronunciation of Canadian French

Douglas C. Walker

University of Ottawa Press 1984

CANADIAN CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA

Walker, Douglas C.

The Pronunciation of Canadian French

Bibliography : p.

ISBN 0-7766-4500-5

1. French language - Canada. 2. French language - Pronunciation. I. Title.

PC3615. W34 1984 448'.1

C84-090218-2

Copyright University of Ottawa Press, Ottawa, Canada, 1984 ISBN 0-7766-4500-5

PRINTED AND BOUND IN CANADA

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Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

iv

Notation and Abbreviations

v

INTRODUCTION

1

SURVEY OF STANDARD FRENCH PHONOLOGY 5

2.0 Introduction

5

2.1 The vowel phonemes of SF

6

2.1.1 Schwa

9

2.1.2 Vowel Length

12

2.1.3 Constraints on the mid vowels

14

2.1.4 Nasalized Vowels

16

2.1.5 Vowels and semi-vowels

17

2.1.6 Stress and syllabification

18

2.2 The consonant phonemes of SF

21

2.2.1 Consonant allophones

22

2.2.2 Varying realizations of /R/

23

2.2.3 Devoicing and voicing assimilation

23

2.2.4 Gaps in the consonant inventory

25

2.2.5 Modifications involving nasals

26

2.2.6 Aspirate-h

27

2.2.7 Final consonants

28

THE VOWEL SYSTEM OF CANADIAN FRENCH

32

3.0 Introduction

32

3.1 Vowel length

32

3.2 Vowel laxing

38

3.2.1 Pretonic laxing

41

3.2.2 Laxing harmony

44

3.3 Diphthongization

47

3.4 Devoicing

52

3.5 Vowel deletion

54

3.6 The low vowels /a/ and /A/

56

3.7 The 1owering of /E/

62

3.8 The diphthong oi

64

3.9 Nasalized vowels

68

3.10 Schwa in CF

70

3.11 Residual problems

72

3.12 Summary and conclusions

73

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Chapter 4

THE CANADIAN FRENCH CONSONANT SYSTEM 77

4.0 Introduction

77

4.1 Assibilation

77

4.2 Final consonant deletion

79

4.3 Final consonant retention or insertion

82

4.4 Nasal assimilation

83

4.5 Velarization of /N/

85

4.6 The phoneme /r/

86

4.7 Residual or restricted phenomena

86

4.7.1 h

86

4.7.2 Mellowing

87

4.7.3 Loss of /r/ and /l/

87

4.8 Summary and conclusions

88

Chapter 5

THE PROSODIC STRUCTURE Of CANADIAN

FRENCH

90

5.0 Introduction

90

5.1 Length

90

5.2 Stress

92

5.3 Tone

94

5.4 Intonation

95

Chapter 6

QUESTIONS OF CANADIAN FRENCH

MORPHOPHONOLOGY

97

6.0 Introduction

97

6.1 Simple pronoun subjects in CF

98

6.2 Direct object pronouns

101

6.3 Articles

104

6.4 Complex cases: indirect objects, gemination,

fusion, and other processes

105

6.5 Summary of rules

110

6.6 Remarks on CF morphology

112

APPENDIX 1 Phonological Features

118

APPENDIX 2 Glossary

120

APPENDIX 3 List of Rules

125

BIBLIOGRAPHY

126

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Acknowledgements

The description of Canadian French which follows is the product of a number of years of observation, sometimes systematic, often accidental, of a variety of French that presents an incredible richness of data relevant to the professional linguistic analyst and to the amateur alike. Virtually every aspect of discussion in current linguistic theory may be illustrated, debated and, frequently enough, contradicted on the basis of Canadian French material. Likewise, the language learner or the casual observer may be interested, challenged or frustrated in attempts to grapple with a form of the spoken language that has escaped systematic discussion in the technical or the non-technical literature. I hope that the information in the subsequent chapters will permit and encourage a closer contact with the sound system of Canada's official Romance language, as it is spoken and "lived", rather than as it reposes in normative textbooks. I must, consequently, acknowledge with thanks the assistance of students, colleagues and friends who have brought Canadian French alive for me, and who have contributed in large part to the improvement of the analysis and to its presentation in what follows. Three students, Dominique Boss?, France Martineau and Val?rie Munn, commented on the manuscript in detail at various stages and gave me the benefit of their intuitions as native speakers. Janet Shorten of the University of Ottawa Press was most encouraging in the details of editorial "fine-tuning". Many colleagues, at one time or another, have discussed this material with me. I would like to thank specifically Pierre Calv?, Andr? Lapierre, Shana Poplack and David Sankoff. I must also single out Noel Corbett who has influenced, in its form and its substance, every section of this book through his insightful comments and constructive disagreements. And finally, I would be remiss if I did not point out the stimulating and supportive environment of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Ottawa, a context that has done much to instruct me in the pleasures of work on Canadian French and on linguistics in general.

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Notation and Abbreviations

Much of the material in this study is described using phonetic symbols and formal notational conventions. In order to facilitate the use of the book, this notation is presented here in some detail, with explanation and exemplification where necessary. Further information, including a list of the distinctive phonetic features and a glossary, is found in the Appendices.

(A) Phonetic Notation

1. VOWELS

front central

back

high

tense i ?

^

u

lax I ?

U

higher-

e ?

o

mid

lower-mid low

?

E ?

?

Q

a

A

Among the front vowels, the first member of each of the pairs i-?, I-?, e-O and E-? is unrounded, the second rounded.

Diacritic marks. The following symbols may be added to the representations of vowels to indicate additional properties (v = any vowel):

v) nasalized vowel v voiceless vowel v long vowel v@ primary stress v$ secondary stress

2. SEMI-VOWELS (GLIDES)

front unrounded

j

front rounded

?

back rounded

w

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3. CONSONANTS

bila-

bial

stop

p b

fricative j b

affricate

flaps/trills

nasals

m

laterals

labiodental

f v pf

interdental

T D

apical

t d s z ts dz r? r) n 1

palatal c j S Z tS dZ

? ?

velar uvular glottal

k g

?

x g

h

kx

R

N l

Among the pairs of stops, fricatives and affricates, the first member is voiceless, the second voiced.

Diacritic marks. The following symbols may be added to the representations of consonants to indicate additional properties (C = any consonant):

C8 voiceless consonant (when C is normally voiced) C? voiced consonant (when C is normally voiceless) C: long or geminate consonant C1 syllabic consonant C9 fronted consonant CH aspirated consonant CJ palatalized consonant

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(B) The phonemic system of General Canadian English.

1.VOWELS, SEMI-VOWELS AND DIPHTHONGS

i

u

I

U

e

?

o

E

?

Q

a

j w

aj aw ?j

Examples:

i beat I bit e bait

E bet

Q bat u boot U book o boat

? bought a bar, balance

? above, sofa

above, cut j yet w wet aj buy aw bough

?j boy

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2. CONSONANTS

p t tS k

b d dZ g

fT s S

h

vD zZ

m n

N

l r

Examples:

p pin b bin t tin d din

tS chin

dZ gin k kin g gun f fun v van

T thin

D then s sin z zoo

S shin

Z measure m moon n noon

N rung l lung r rung

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