Problems in uttering French nasal vowels for Jordanian learners of French as a foreign language

Abstract

"Un bon vin blanc" (A fine white wine), is a French sentence in which every French nasal vowel that will be discussed in this article: [œ̃ ], [ɔ̃], [ɛ̃], [ɑ̃] is represented. Nasal vowels are « produced by lowering the velum and allowing the air to pass outward through the nose » (Halle, Morris, et Clements 1983). This phenomenon is called nasalization. If students of French as a foreign language are not able to produce such nasal sounds, they will not be able to properly pronounce these French vowels. Students face several sorts of difficulties whilst trying to utter French phonemes in general, but nasal sounds’ utterance is rewarding and motivating for them once the teacher succeeded in making them pronounce it correctly. This article aims at proposing pedagogical and technical ways while suggesting efficient solutions and strategies in order to correct Jordanian students’ pronunciations while making them discriminate the proper sounds. The language laboratory then plays a significant role in the acquisition of these nasal sounds in the university program. Keywords: nasal sounds, nasal vowels, French as a foreign language, Jordanian learners, pronunciation, utterance, difficulties, propositions and solutions.