The Northern Accent
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2025 10:09 am
Made famous by the film Welcome to the Sticks , the Northern accent gives the impression of speaking through the nose. This regional variety is the vestige of the Oïl languages such as Norman, Picard or Walloon. It is marked by closed vowels and the mixing of nasal pronunciation. For example, the inhabitants pronounce the word "milk" as "lé" and confuse words like "son" and "sang".
Listen to the northern accent right away with this extract from the documentary on the Picard dialect.
Eastern accent
People from eastern regions such as Lorraine and Alsace tend to strongly emphasize their "r" sounds. This accent is similar to the sounds of German. For example, "wi" is pronounced instead of "oui" and the "t" sound of the word "vingt" can be heard.
The Parisian accent
There is of course a Parisian accent that we hear for example in Île-de-France. It is generally taken as a reference: it is the French that we hear in the media.
It is often said that Parisians have a pointed accent. They have the particularity of swallowing the endings. The "long" a's become short. For example, the word "pasta" (paaaates) is pronounced almost like "paws".
Here is a sound archive that gives an idea of the Paris accent in 1912.
Are you ashamed of your accent when singapore whatsapp number data you speak French? Do you try to hide it ? If I brought up the topic of regional accents in France in this article, it is to explore the culture of the country, but also to show how diverse the French language is.
My goal was to explain that everyone has an accent when they speak and that it's normal. It's a mark of your identity, your roots and your personal experience. You can be proud of your accent. Ultimately, there are no "good" or "bad" French accents.
The only question that matters is whether French speakers understand you. If so, then there is no problem. If they do not understand you because your accent is too strong, then you should work on it. At the Authentic French Academy , we adopt a learning method focused on oral practice. The goal? To encourage you to speak French with confidence!
Listen to the northern accent right away with this extract from the documentary on the Picard dialect.
Eastern accent
People from eastern regions such as Lorraine and Alsace tend to strongly emphasize their "r" sounds. This accent is similar to the sounds of German. For example, "wi" is pronounced instead of "oui" and the "t" sound of the word "vingt" can be heard.
The Parisian accent
There is of course a Parisian accent that we hear for example in Île-de-France. It is generally taken as a reference: it is the French that we hear in the media.
It is often said that Parisians have a pointed accent. They have the particularity of swallowing the endings. The "long" a's become short. For example, the word "pasta" (paaaates) is pronounced almost like "paws".
Here is a sound archive that gives an idea of the Paris accent in 1912.
Are you ashamed of your accent when singapore whatsapp number data you speak French? Do you try to hide it ? If I brought up the topic of regional accents in France in this article, it is to explore the culture of the country, but also to show how diverse the French language is.
My goal was to explain that everyone has an accent when they speak and that it's normal. It's a mark of your identity, your roots and your personal experience. You can be proud of your accent. Ultimately, there are no "good" or "bad" French accents.
The only question that matters is whether French speakers understand you. If so, then there is no problem. If they do not understand you because your accent is too strong, then you should work on it. At the Authentic French Academy , we adopt a learning method focused on oral practice. The goal? To encourage you to speak French with confidence!