Feel the rhythm if you want to understand the language

The idea of rhythm is sometimes thought to be restricted to written language, whether poetry or prose. But it is also very much present in speech, and as a guideline for French it is worth noting that it is linked to rising and falling tones. 

A flat statement is not flat at all: a sentence rises in tone from a baseline and does not return to that baseline until it ends. 

In the case of a question, the tone rises at the end. 

Intermediate parts of the sentence, determined by the grouping of words in sense-bites, also have a tendency to rise in tone above the previous one. In practice, of course, it is less absolute than this suggests, but as a rule of thumb it is a useful guide.

Listening and imitating, which is what children do spontaneously when learning a language, is the key. 

If they hear “I don’t know”, they will repeat it; likewise, if they hear “I d’no”. 

We learn that the French equivalent is je ne sais pas, but how often do we hear this in reality? Only if someone is wanting to be emphatic. Chais pas is more likely (with that “ch” pronounced “sh”). 

Emphasis is produced by separating the words… or, in other cases, by separating syllables of a single word: C’est é-vi-dem-ment dé-me-su-ré, i-nac-cep-ta-ble, mé-pri-sa-ble! 

A syllable is a part of a word containing a vowel sound pronounced as a single unit. A break comes between repeated identical consonants (here m-m, c-c) but not after a consonant followed by l or r (here –ble, –pri). 

Syllables are the nuts and bolts of the language; to master them is a significant step towards feeling the rhythm of French.