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FIRST BOOK IN FRENCH

1. Alphabet.

REMARKS ON PRONUNCIATION

The letters of the French alphabet, and their names, are: a (a), b (bé), c (cé), d (dé), e (é), f (effe), g (gé), h (ache), i (i), j (ji), k (ka), 1(elle), m (emme), n (enne), o (0), p(pé), q (ku), r(erre), s (esse), t (té), u (u), v (vé), w (double vé), x (iks), y (i grec), z (zède).

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2. Accents. Ex.: é, è, à, ù, â, ê, ô, û.

French accent-marks show quality of vowel merely; they do not denote stress. There are three accents: the acute ( ́), called aigu, found only over e (é); the grave (`), found over e (è), a, and u; the circumflex (^), called circonflex, over any vowel except y.

3. Apostrophe. 1', s', m', t'. Ex.: L'enfant, s'en, m'y, t'engager.

The apostrophe indicates the omission of a final vowel, usually e, before another word beginning with a vowel.

4. Cedilla. Ex.: garçon.

The cédille () is put under c preceding a, o, or u to indicate that c is soft and has the sound of s in the English word such.

5. Dieresis. Ex.: haïr.

The tréma (") is placed over the latter of two consecutive vowels to indicate that the second vowel begins a new syllable, instead of forming a diphthong with the preceding vowel.

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