pronunciation question

Question

I agree with the Kwiziq team members and some others that the words all sound clear, with my connection anyway. After I have completed the exercise and re-listened to the whole passage it magically becomes very clear. My only query is the word "honnêteté" where, despite numerous listens, I can't hear all the syllables, and I was wondering whether it is usually pronounced as spelled "honnêteté", or in common usage is simply pronounced "honnêté"

Accepted Answer

Hi Paul,
At normal 'native' speed, the word 'honnêteté' ( 4 syllables) becomes :
honnêtté -
3 syllables with a stress on the -t as if the -e has disappeared.
Hope that helps!

Answer

In Larousse it is clearly pronounced as 4 syllables, which I think is the formal way eg in poetry. In Robert en ligne it is pronounced as 3 syllables only. My wife (French) pronounces it exactly as per Robert, which is as per the lesson.

Answer

In everyday spoken French, the -e- in the middle of a word is often swallowed up and barely noticeable. Acheter, for example, is pronounced as if it were spelled achter. The same things happens to honnêteté and many others.

This goes as far as swallowing up the -e in je: je t'en pris becomes j't'en pris.

On the other hand, have someone who is learning English take a vacation in, say, Scotland. ;)