Make French pronunciation visible

French pronunciation is considered to be particularly difficult. This is mainly due to the fact that it differs significantly from the written language. An extreme example is the French word eau water, pronounced [o] like oh! No single letter corresponds to the pronunciation.hat formatiert: Englisch (Vereinigte Staaten) However, anyone learning French as a foreign language as a teenager or adult is usually guided by the written form. Basic research and scientific communication are now showing how this can be used to improve pronunciation. The WKP project Making French pronunciation visible is based on the FWF project Pronunciation in Progress: French schwa and liaison Pro2F (2017-2022), which analysed the French pronunciation of Austrian pupils for the first time. This project has shown, among other things, how important it is for learners to know which letters and letter combinations correspond to which sounds, and that sometimes each word has its own pronunciation. The core message of the WKP project is, therefore: If you see the French pronunciation, you will understand it and memorise it and thus achieve a good or (even) better pronunciation! hat formatiert: Englisch (Vereinigte Staaten) While we often overhear pronunciation in everyday life because we concentrate on the content, visualisations make it possible to grasp and retain it cognitively. We want to use a variety of visualisation techniques for this: Symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), combined with caricatures, cartoons, comics and manga to create infographics. The WKP project aims to bring the scientific findings of the Pro2F project into professional practice and society in three steps: 1) Attract attention: postcards and social media posts with caricatures, cartoons etc. draw attention to the French debate and research on the topic, arouse interest, and motivate people to find out more online and offline and take action themselves. 2) Inform: A glossy brochure and a homepage with a clear, attractive design clearly present the results of the Pro2F project and their practical value. 3) Activate: At workshops and in a competition, pupils and other interested parties develop further humorous visualisations and become multipliers. Around 150 pupils from our partner schools will take part in the workshops. They will first learn about the research results of the Pro2F project, then develop ideas for visualisations with coaching from three well-known comic artists from Austria, France and Belgium. The students can submit their works to a competition, which is also open to all interested parties. The winners will be selected by two professional juries one made up of scientists andhat formatiert: Englisch (Vereinigte Staaten) another of comic artists and a public vote.hat formatiert: Englisch (Vereinigte Staaten)

This science communication project demonstrated novel ways to better understand, learn, and teach French pronunciation. For this purpose, we adopted a creative approach: using illustrations, comics, and phonetic transcription, we made pronunciation visible. The core message was simple: "If you can see French pronunciation, you can understand and remember it - giving you better, more authentic pronunciation!" The project builds on our recent scientific findings on the pronunciation of learners of French in Austria, as part of the FWF-funded research project Pro2F (2017-2022). Based on this research, we identified 10 key phenomena in French pronunciation that often pose challenges for learners but are frequently understood through "eureka" moments. We commissioned a French artist to create humorous illustrations that demonstrate and explain the correct pronunciation for these key phenomena. In addition, we developed a magazine in print and online, which presented these phenomena in an accessible and entertaining way while also communicating findings from the Pro2F project. The printed magazine was distributed to all Austrian schools where French is taught as a foreign language, shared at international conferences, and made available on demand to schools and universities beyond Austria. Furthermore, we organized workshops with French-speaking comic artists and more than 150 students of French across Austria. These workshops offered participants insights into two worlds at once: pronunciation research and comics. Through this combination of disciplines, students were encouraged to create their own illustrations and comics about French pronunciation. Finally, a public drawing competition invited participants from a broad audience to create and submit illustrations of French pronunciation. A total of 439 entries were received and published on the project website. The many contributions from school classes-often submitted through French teachers-highlight the project's tangible impact on French language teaching in Austrian schools. The winners were selected by a public vote and two expert juries of linguists and comic artists. Positive feedback from schools, teacher training colleges, and university colleagues, along with invitations to deliver training events and lectures, indicates that the project successfully reached its target audiences and has created a lasting impact. Collaborations established during the project will continue beyond its duration, including a thematic semester on comics and an exhibition at the Institute of Romance Studies at the University of Vienna in the summer semester of 2026.