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In French , most written-word-final Consonant s are silent in most contexts. Liaison is the pronunciation of such a consonant due to a following Vowel sound. For example, the letter ''s'' in the word ''les'' (''the'') is generally silent, but it is pronounced /z/ in the combination ''les amis'' (''the friends''). In certain Syntactic contexts, liaison is impossible; in others, it is necessary; and in yet others, it is possible but not necessary. CLASSIFICATION It is a form of '' Paragoge '', the addition of a sound to the end of a word. Unlike an .) REALIZATION OF LIAISON The (usually) silent final consonants of certain words can be pronounced, in certain syntactic contexts, when the following word begins with a vowel. Since the sound thus obtained is an ancient one, spellings that are based on the Etymology of the word may not reflect the real pronunciation. For example, final consonants are pronounced as follows in the case of liaison (the transcription uses IPA ; in IPA, liaison is indicated by placing an undertie {Link without Title} between the consonant and the vowel):
With most words whose spellings end in ''-n'' and whose pronunciations end in Nasal Vowel s (, , , or ), the vowel will be denasalized during liaison:
TYPES OF LIAISONS We can broadly define three types of liaison in French. Liaison appears between words that are strongly connected grammatically within one phrasal Tonic Accent . We distinguish between the following:
Obligatory liaison The omission of an obligatory liaison is felt by French-speakers as an error in pronunciation, regardless of Register . Liaison is obligatory:
Optional liaison If some liaisons are truly obligatory, others are only "obligatory" in formal speech. The following are some of these optional liaisons, often omitted from everyday speech:
Other liaisons that are not explicitly forbidden (see below) are possible. Depending on their frequency, these are more or less pedantic: ''ils ontattendu'' ("they have waited") seems much less pedantic than ''tu asattendu'' ("you have waited"). (Note that the everyday spoken forms would more likely be and , or simply .) Forbidden liaison Finally, certain liaisons are impossible:
ERRORS OF LIAISON As can be seen, liaison, outlined above, is only obligatory in rare cases. The omission of such a liaison would be considered an error, not simply as taking liberties with the rule. In cases of optional liaison, the omission is common, and liaison appears only in careful speech. On the other end, placing a liaison where one is impossible can also pass as an error, except in the cases of disjunction with aspirated ''h'''s: the liaison will indicate an uncultivated speaker. Even in familiar language, liaison before an aspirated ''h'' can seem unsophisticated. Finally, it happens, due to Hypercorrection or due to Euphony , that a liaison is pronounced where it doesn't exist (where it is possible by spelling, but forbidden, as with ''et‿ainsi'', or where it is impossible even by spelling, as with ''moi-z-avec''). This phenomenon is called ''pataquès''. In rare cases, these liaisons may be conserved by the language and become obligatory, such as in ''donnes-en'' and ''mange-t-il''; see Ephelcystic Phoneme . Otherwise, they are felt in the same way as omissions of disjunction, suggesting a poorly cultivated or clumsy speaker. Such an error is sometimes called ''cuir'' ("leather") when the inserted consonant is , ''velours'' ("velvet") when it is , although dictionaries do not all agree on these terms:
SPECIAL CASES: POETIC VERSE AND APPLIED DICTION The reading of s pronounced, hence is of chief importance for the correct pronunciation of a verse. French-speakers tend as much as possible to avoid a hiatus or a succession of two consonants between two words, in a more or less artificial way. |