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French Pronunciation

Monolithic_DomeMonolithic_Dome Registered User regular
edited June 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
Quick, but has been bothering me for a while:

Could a French speaker tell me how one pronounces Ricard, as in Pernod Ricard?

[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Monolithic_Dome on

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    HachfaceHachface Not the Minister Farrakhan you're thinking of Dammit, Shepard!Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    PAIR-noh REE-car

    Hachface on
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    Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    ree-CAR, emphasis on the second syllable

    Note that the french "r" is not the same as the English "r."

    In English, the sound is made by curling back the tongue and it comes from the middle of your mouth. In French, the sound is guttural and made at the back of the throat. It's just like the Spanish rolled R, but in the back instead of the front.

    Try rolling your R at the front of your mouth, if you're familiar with it, then try moving it back until it's all the way in your tonsils, and you might get it.

    Evil Multifarious on
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    ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Yeah, it's hard to illustrate the French "r" if you can't hear it. And if you're not a native speaker, it's nigh-impossible to get exactly right.

    Exact pronunciation is also going to vary greatly depending on which French you're talking about (Northern, Southern, African, Canadian...), but for Parisian, the above is pretty spot on.

    Thanatos on
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    RevolutionaryRevolutionary Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Don't worry if you can't do the French 'r' correctly - some people (even natives and most immigrants) can't do it either. Basically it comes out not as an 'arr' like in English but as 'airgh' instead.

    Revolutionary on
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