4 Pronouncing the sounds [ s ] and [ z ]
In this section you will practise pronouncing the sounds [ s ] and [ z ].
Where there is a single ‘s’ between two vowels in a word, it is pronounced [ z ] as in ‘zero’, for example in the word poison. Where there is a double ‘s’ between two vowels this is pronounced [ s ] as in ‘mass’, for example in the word poisson. It is very important to distinguish between these sounds, as some words with quite similar spellings but very different meanings could otherwise be confused, e.g. dessert (‘dessert’) and désert (‘desert’)!
Activité 15
Task 1
Listen to the audio track and select whether you hear an ‘s’ sound (as in poisson) or a ‘z’ sound (as in raisin).
Transcript: Audio 17
assiette, raisin, parmesan, soupe, croissant, pissaladière, boisson, cuisine, spécialités, soufflé, poisson, poison, désert, dessert
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is b.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is b.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is b.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is b.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is b.
a.
[s]
b.
[z]
The correct answer is a.
Activité 16
Task 1
In this activity you will practise the pronunciation of the sounds [ s ] and [ z ].
Listen to each of the recordings below, then practise repeating the words with the appropriate pronunciation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.