French Learning 0004 · The consonant sounds
The idea, I think, is to keep it easy. Just be lazy, and let the sounds take you.
Most consonants in French are similar to the ones in English. One thing to note is that French /p/, /t/, and /k/ usually have a much smaller puff of air than you hear in English words like pin, tin, and key. That little puff of air is called aspiration. I'll just cover two special consonants here.
1. /ʁ/
It's a rhotic sound pronounced near the uvula. Raise the back of your tongue and keep the tip just behind the lower teeth. Exhale, letting the air pass gently between the back of your tongue and the uvula. There you go.
It's actually a range of sounds, from /ʁ/ to a softer /ʁ̞/, and even a voiceless /χ/.
Remember to lift the back of your tongue a bit. Try it as if you were gently gargling. Then gradually ease off until the sound feels lighter. There. You have it. A very light version is /ʁ̞/. I find it softer, gentler, and easier on the ear.
After a voiceless consonant, the French "r" often comes out as /χ/. In other positions, you may hear /ʁ/ or a lighter /ʁ̞/, depending on the speaker and the sounds around it.
The idea, I think, is to keep it easy. Just be lazy, and let the sounds take you.
2. /ɲ/
The combination of letters "g" and "n" produces the sound /ɲ/ in most cases. Some words, such as "gnome" and "diagnostic", have separate /ɡ/ and /n/ sounds. How do you say "canyon"? It sounds much like that. The English "ny" is usually /n/ followed by /j/, and some French speakers also use a pronunciation closer to /nj/.
An easy way to try it, I think, is to start with the "ee" sound in the English "bee" and hold it. Then lift the front part of your tongue until it touches the hard palate, the hard part of the roof of your mouth. Keep your voice going and let the air flow out through your nose. There you go.
