Accent in Exercise

N. Hilary (Shamrockhill) W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Accent in Exercise

The directions tell us that the narrator has a typical accent from Marseille. I had no problem understanding him, with the exception of the final phrase: "surtout quand on joue contre Paris." With the liaison, the word "on" sounds like "tous/tout" or even possibly "tu" but certainly not the standard pronunciation of "on". I wanted to write "on" since that made more sense, but went with "tous", which of course was wrong. (I knew that if I wrote "on" and it was correct, that I would be less likely to remember than if I wrote the wrong word.)

My question: Was this a mispronunciation of "on" or is this an example of the Marseille accent?

Merci

Asked 2 years ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour N. Hilary,

It is indeed an example of the accent from Marseille! ;-) 

Here is a link in French about this particular accent: L'accent marseillais

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

N. Hilary (Shamrockhill) W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Merci Celine. The accent of Marseille, although unique, is not so very different from that of Nimes and Montpellier where I lived.  I enjoyed watching and listening to the video.

Merci !

Brian E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Agreed, I too noticed that this “on” was very different from “normal”. I heard it as “au”. Interesting to learn that this is indeed due to the city’s accent. 

Accent in Exercise

The directions tell us that the narrator has a typical accent from Marseille. I had no problem understanding him, with the exception of the final phrase: "surtout quand on joue contre Paris." With the liaison, the word "on" sounds like "tous/tout" or even possibly "tu" but certainly not the standard pronunciation of "on". I wanted to write "on" since that made more sense, but went with "tous", which of course was wrong. (I knew that if I wrote "on" and it was correct, that I would be less likely to remember than if I wrote the wrong word.)

My question: Was this a mispronunciation of "on" or is this an example of the Marseille accent?

Merci

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