Native French speakers vs English stress pattern

Question

I am not sure how many people in this group do some research in phonology. But let me try asking a question here.

English and French should have pretty different stress patterns, right? English is primarily bimoraic trochee (penultimate stress or antepenultimate stress), whereas French has the stress on the final syllable of a word.
Now here is the question: Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I am not sure how many people in this group do some research in phonology. But let me try asking ... a word. Now here is the question: Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
Yes.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
Being monolingual, they would be expected to be unable to identify correctly any aspect of the other language, i.e. words and syntax as well as stress, accent, etc.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
[nq:1]Being monolingual, they would be expected to be unable to identify correctly any aspect of the other language, i.e. words and syntax as well as stress, accent, etc. Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)[/nq]
Years ago, in Bandung, I had a French friend who had worked for an American company for many years.
His English was absolutely perfect.
On first meeting it took about three minutes to become aware that he was a Frenchman speaking absolutely perfect English.
Izzy

Usenet · Answer

I don't do research on phonology, but I am a native speaker of English who has for much of the last 5 years worked for international organisations where we use a lot of French in writing and occasionally in meetings. There are plenty of native speakers of French there who find themselves having to speak English a lot, just as there are lots of English native speakers who find themselves working in French.

I am almost always amazed by the level of sophistication and proficiency my colleagues demonstrate in working in 2nd or 3rd (or even 4th sometimes) languages but also have found myself musing on the accents I hear and which components of them are so identifiable. With native speakers of French even those who have extensive vocabularies and otherwise are letter-perfect in English seem to have persistent problems with stress in English. (I do not hesitate to add that I am sure they find this and many other problems persist in my French, which is nowhere near as good as their English.)
But then, this is perhaps not the question you are really asking but I find it hard to understand why 'monolingual' French speakers would need to 'identify the stress' of English, rather than to identify words, or understand meaning . . . so perhaps you are asking something which I don't understand. All I can offer up is my observation of a large sample of native French speakers and say that, yes, stress seems to be possibly the greatest component in their accents and one of the hardest things to change.
cheers,
Stephanie
(in Brussels)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I don't do research on phonology, but I am a native speaker of English who has for much of the ... be possibly the greatest component in their accents and one of the hardest things to change. cheers, Stephanie (in Brussels)[/nq]
I think it is not so much stress as intonation - which includes stress.

It is possible to "master" a foreign language, but give oneself away by intonation. I know, because I have done it.
It is not impossible - but you need a ****** good voice coach.

The great Australian actor, Jack Thompson, has the US Southern accent down pat, including the intonation. Cate Blanchett also does a great job with American accents. I suspect they both put in a lot of work.

Izzy

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I am not sure how many people in this group do some research in phonology. But let me try asking ... a word. Now here is the question: Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
The previously discussed Antoine de Caunes is a prime example of this.

His English is very fluent indeed but both his accent and timing (presumably caused by a French "stress pattern") make his English quite hard to understand.
Ida Goode-Johnson

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
[nq:1]Being monolingual, they would be expected to be unable to identify correctly any aspect of the other language, i.e. words and syntax as well as stress, accent, etc.[/nq]
Maybe he means you do the following experiment. Say the noun "implant" to monolingual native French speakers. Ask them in French to write whether the first or second syllable was accented. Get another group and repeat with the verb "implant". See whether they do as well as monolingual native speakers of German, or better than chance.

Jerry Friedman

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I am not sure how many people in this group do some research in phonology. But let me try asking ... a word. Now here is the question: Will monolingual native French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
I don't see how they could avoid it. The Filthy Frogs (which takes in the whole lot of 'em) have problems with everything .

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I am not sure how many people in this group ... French speakers have problem correctly identifying the stress of English?[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't see how they could avoid it. The Filthy Frogs (which takes in the whole lot of 'em) have problems with everything .[/nq]
Indeed.
I find the way English maul French to be quite predictable, but what the French do English is always a surprise,

Jan

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I don't see how they could avoid it. The Filthy Frogs (which takes in the whole lot of 'em) have problems with everything .[/nq]
[nq:1]Indeed. I find the way English maul French to be quite predictable, but what the French do English is always a surprise, Jan[/nq]
That, of course, is doubledutch in its use of the article . Whatever can you mean? Everybody has always mauled the Frog. If the second part of your sentence is intended to have a sexual implication, let it be said that no nation is responsible for its female constituent, an element which is always surprising. Hardly worth the virtual ink, wot.

Native French speakers vs English stress pattern

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