The Vowel /i/
The French vowel /i/
has the following features: high, front, unrounded and oral. Examples of words containing /i/ are: lit [li]
, rire [ʁiʁ]
, inné [ine]
, rapide [ʁapid]
.
Articulation
Like all French vowels, the vowel /i/ is short and tense. When articulating, avoid adding a /j/ at the end. While English does have a similar vowel, they are not the same. This is obvious in the following pairs:
Word pair |
French |
English |
"qui/key" |
[ki] |
[kij] |
"oui/we" |
[wi] |
[wij] |
"si/see" |
[si] |
[sij] |
Speakers of English tend to draw out the vowel in stressed syllables. In unstressed syllables, be careful not to use a lax vowel. For example, the vowels in the English word limit
are lax, while those of the French word limite
should be tense.
Spelling
The vowel /i/ is represented by the letter "i" (or "y") in certain contexts. Namely:
a) at the end of a word, e.g.: si [si];
b) before a non-nasal consonant, e.g.: miser [mize], cycle [sikl];
c) before a nasal consonant followed by a vowel (silent or pronounced), e.g.: sublime [syblim]
Note that when "i" is followed by a pronounced vowel, it represents the semi-consonant /j/ and NOT /i/, e.g.: Pierre = [pjɛʁ]
and NOT [piɛʁ]
.
- Be sure to pronounce a short tense vowel and to avoid a diphthong (si = [si] and NOT [sij])
- Make sure you use the high French vowel /i/, not the lax English one (/ɪ/).