In mastering French, nothing is more important than learning to pronounce the words and phrases so that you can be understood. This online-and-book program emphasizes speaking, sound discrimination, and standard intonation patterns that are typical of native French speakers, for example pronunciation of French vowel sounds, such as
u and
eu, and French nasals such as
un and
en, which many English speakers find especially difficult to pronounce. This program's noteworthy features include:
- A guide to French pronunciation expressed in the phonetic symbols of the International Phonetic Association (IPA)
- Extensive pronunciation exercises including supplementary help based on poetry, proverbs, familiar sayings, historical quotations and humor
- Online audio
Words and sounds are put into a variety of conversational contexts for students of French to practice and perfect.
Dr. Christopher Kendris, an accomplished linguist, has worked as an interpreter and translator for the U.S. State Department at the American Embassy in Paris. He holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and diplomas with " Mention Honorable " at the Universite de Paris (en Sorbonne), and at the Institut de Photetique, Paris. He is former Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages and Supervisor of 16 foreign language teachers at Farmingdale High School, Farmingdale, NY, and has taught foreign language courses at various colleges and universities.
Dr. Theodore Kendris earned his Ph.D. at Universite Laval, Quebec City. He has taught in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois as well as at the Hazleton Campus of Penn State University. Dr. Kendris is the author of " Ingles completo: Repaso integral de gramatica inglesa para hispanohablantes, " published by Barron's. He is coauthor of " Spanish Fundamentals and Spanish Verb Conjugations, " also published by Barron's.