French. English. French.
a (short) like a in _bat_, exemplified by _mal_.
â (long) like a _bar_ _âge_.
e sounded like a _villă_ _me_, _je_.
è, ê e _e’er_, _there_ _père_.
é ai, e _air_, _eh_! _été_.
i ea _peak_ _pique_.
î ie _field_ _gîte_.
o o _rob_ _mol_.
ô o _no_ _môle_.
u no equivalent in English (nearest approach is _u_
in _brunette_) exemplified by _suc_.
û no equivalent in English _sûre_.
eû sounded like e in _her_ (but longer and deeper) _jeûne_.
ou oo _root_ exemplified by _goutte_.
oû oo _noose_ _voûte_.
an no equivalent in English _tan_.
in _fin_.
on _bon_.
un _brun_.
Y, when alone, or when preceded or followed by a consonant, is pronounced
like an _i_; except in _pays_, _paysan_, _paysage_. When placed between
two vowels, it performs the office of two _i_’s, and is always preceded
by _a_, _e_, _o_, or _u_. When preceded by _a_ or _e_, it unites its
first _i_ with this vowel, and sounds _è_, as in _rayon_, which is
pronounced _rè-ion_; when preceded by _o_, its first _i_ is sounded
in conjunction with _o_, like _wa_ in the English word _wag_, as in
_joyeux_, which is pronounced _joa-ieû_; and when preceded by _u_, its
own two _i_’s preserve their natural sound, as in _appuyer_, which is
pronounced _appui-ié_.
A is long in the termination _aille_, except in _médăille_, _je
travăille_, _détăille_, _émăille_, _băille_ (I give). It is also long in
_ation_, as, _nation_, _admiration_, _oblation_; pronounce therefore,
_pāille_, _limāille_, _canāille_, _nātion_, _admirātion_, _oblātion_, etc.
In the terminations of the imperfect of the subjunctive of verbs of the
first conjugation, the _a_ is always short; as _que je parlăsse_, _que je
donnăsse_.