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Sons et prononciation / Phonologie

Main article: Quebec French (phonology) -redirect from Quebec French pronunciation

Shana Poplack

Voyelles

Main article: Quebec French pronunciation

The phonological framework of Quebec French displays the following distinctive features:

Vowel features

Systematic, i.e. in all unmonitored speech

• /œ̃/ and /ɑ:/ as phonemes distinct from /ɛ̃/ and from /a/ respectively
• [ɪ], [ʏ], [ʊ] as laxed allophones of /i/, /y/, /u/ in closed syllables
• Under certain conditions, long vowels in final (stressed) syllables
• Drop of schwa /ə/

Observable in some but not all unmonitored speech

• Variants a for /ɛ̃/ are tensed into [e ̃] or [ĩ] whereas [ɑ̃] is fronted into [ã]
• Diphthongs as variants to long vowels
• [we] (written as "oé") as a variant of [wa] and in contrast to [wɑ]

Consonant features

Systematic

• /t/ and /d/ affricated to [ts] and [dz] before /i/, /y/, /u/ and their allophones [ɪ], [ʏ], [ʊ]
• Drop of liquids /l/ and /ʁ/ (written as "l" and "r") in unstressed position with schwa /ə/ or unstressed intervocalic position

Observable in some but not all unmonitored speech

• Phonological feminine before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel: une bel avion
• Trilled "r" - [r] (a disappearing phenomenon, it restricted to speakers over 30 yrs. old originally from areas west of Trois-Rivières)

For detailed information on other topics in phonology in Quebec French, such as prosody, see Quebec French pronunciation.

For phonological comparisons of Quebec French, Belgian French, Meridional French, and Metropolitain French, see French phonology.

Quebec French has more phonemes than Metropolitan French, as /a/ and /ɑ:/, /ɛ/ and /ɜ:/, and /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ are still clearly opposed whereas the latter of each pair has disappeared at least in several parts of France.

Vowels

Quebec French replaces tense vowels with their lax equivalents when the vowels are both short (e.g. not before "r", [ʒ], [z] and [v]) and in a closed syllable. This means that the masculine and feminine adjectives petit and petite, [pəti] and [pətit] in France, are [pəʦi] and [pəʦɪt] in Quebec. The same goes with [y] → [ʏ] and [u] → [ʊ]. In some areas, notably Beauce, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and, to a lesser extent, Quebec City and the surrounding region, even long tense vowels may be laxed.

The nasal vowels are slightly different, although native speakers are not generally able to tell between a French and a Quebecer vowel. [ɛ̃] and [ɔ̃] are tensed into [ẽ] (or even [ĩ]) and [õ], whereas [ɑ̃] is fronted into [ã]. Also, nasal vowels under stress in a final closed syllable are long and may be diphthongized in colloquial speech.

One letter whose distinct pronunciation is very noticeable in Quebec French is the letter A. The normal realization in final open syllable is [ɔ], which is nowadays strongly marked as colloquial, with [ɑ] being seen as more elevated. Parisian [a] is very formal, and often perceived as pretentious. Inside words, [aː] and [ɑː] often change into [ɑː] and [oː] although this too is increasingly considered to be colloquial. These variations are found in several European pronunciations and are usually also considered colloquial.

The letters oi, pronounced [wa] in Metropolitan French, and [wa], [wɑ], and [wɑː] in formal Quebec French, can be realized in six additional different ways in less formal context, including the very famous [ɛ] found (exclusively) in droit, froid, flexions of noyer and croire, and soit, remnants from one of the founding French dialects.

Another informal archaistic trait from 17th century Parisian popular French is the tendency to open [ɛ] into [æ] in a final open syllable. On the other hand, in grammatical word endings, as well as in the indicative forms of verb être, the [ɛ] is tensed into [e]. This is also usual in France, but failure to tense the [ɛ] in Quebec is usually negatively perceived as pedantic.

Diphthongization

Long and nasalized vowels are normally diphthongized when stressed. For instance père (father), /pɛr/, is [pɛːr] in France but [paer] in Quebec. Other cases include:

• [ɛ:] → [ae]
• [ø:] → [œy]
• [o:] → [ou]
• [ɑ:] → [au]
• [œ:] → [aœ]
• [ã] → [ɑ̃ũ]
• [ẽ] → [ẽĩ]
• [õ] → [õũ]
• [œ̃] → [œ̃ỹ]

Diphthongization is considered as marking less educated speech and avoided in more formal contexts. Diphthongization of [oː] and [øː] are unaffected by this stigma, however, and usually go unnoticed of most speakers.

Phonological feminine

When followed by a word that is vowel initial the vowel in un and une (the indefinite article) is in a closed syllable and therefore lax. Because Quebec French has vowel harmony, both determiners will be pronounced the same ([œ̃n] → [ən] and [ʏn] → [ən]). This creates the effect that nouns beginning with a vowel are perceived as feminine, and often used so. Hence: une hôpital, une grosse autobus, l'avion est belle.

Metonymies provide interesting evidence of this. For instance, although most adults would probably say that autobus is masculine if they were given reflection time, specific bus routes defined by their number are always feminine. Bus No. 10 is known as l'autobus 10, or more often la 10. Using le 10 in this context, although normal in France, would be strikingly odd in Quebec (especially Montréal), except in some regions, particularly the Outaouais, where it is the standard. (An alternative explanation for this, however, is that bus routes in Montréal are called "lines", and therefore "la 10" is short for "la ligne 10", and not "l'autobus 10", since it is the route being referred to, and not an individual bus.)

There are many differences in informal grammar: for instance, some words have a different gender than in standard French (une job rather than un job). This is partially systematic. For example, just as the difference in pronunciation between chien /ʃjɛ̃/ (masc.) and chienne /ʃjɛn/ (fem.) is the presence or absence of a final consonant, likewise ambiguous words ending in a consonant (such as job (/ʤʌb/)) are often assigned to the feminine. Also, vowel-initial words that in standard grammar are masculine, are sometimes patterned as feminine; since preceding masculine adjectives are homophonous to feminine adjectives (un bel avion; bel /bɛl/ = belle fem.), the word is patterned as feminine (une belle avion).

Oppositions

traditionnelles/anciennes

1. 1. ɑ / a
   2. e / ɛ
   3. œ~ / ɛ~

Relâchées en syllabe fermée

1. 1. I = [i]/ɪ
   2. Y = [y]/[ʏ]
   3. U = [u]/[ʊ]

Vers l’avant et le haut

1. 1. e~
   2. a~

Anciennes prononciations régionales

1. 1. wa / wɑ / wɛ / we
   2. marde, parsonne; Assaie donc! Le bon perler, Viarge! (vs. farm/ferme; asparagus/asperge)

Consonnes

Phénomènes en disparition

1. 1. le R roulé
   2. le S sifflé
   3. le X pour ʒ

Prosodie

Syncope

1. 1. schwa
   2. perte des liquides L/R (tab', quat', pias')
   3. autres voyelles

Épenthèse-métathèse-interversion

exiprès, aréoport, infractus, chousse, pestak, pétak, caramoni, arien, Argarde!

Harmonisation vocalique

quésiment, pièno, mYzIk

Assimilation

éducation, institution, constitution, couper

(de nasalité) - Demande à Marie. C'est de même.

Dissimilation et différenciation

vlimeux (venimeux); bécane (mécanique)