C'est épouvantable ! (initial syllable with liaison consonant ) C'est épouvantable ! (initial syllable with glottal stop insertion) Intonation French intonation differs substantially from that of English. There are four primary patterns: The continuation pattern is a rise in pitch occurring in the last syllable of a rhythm group (typically a phrase). The finality pattern is a sharp fall in pitch occurring in the last syllable of a declarative statement. The yes/no intonation is a sharp rise in pitch occurring in the last syllable of a yes/no question. The information question intonation is a rapid fall-off from a high pitch on the first word of a non-yes/no question, often followed by a small rise in pitch on the last syllable of the question. See also History of French Phonological history of French Varieties of French French orthography Reforms of French orthography Phonologie du Français Contemporain Quebec French phonology References Sources External links Foreign Service Institute's freely downloadable course on French phonology Introduction to French Phonology (audio) Introduction to French Phonology (student & teacher texts) Large collection of recordings of French words mp3 Audio Pronunciation of French vowels, consonants and alphabet French Vowels Demonstrated by a Native Speaker (youtube) French Consonants Demonstrated by a Native Speaker (youtube) Phonology de:Französische Sprache#Aussprache