French pronunciation of what should be a silent "e" in a song. Help. | Specific language questions | Forum
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12:13
January 10, 2012
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This is the song. You only need to listen to the first stanza.
I can't seem to embed the video so follow this link: 
J'avais dessiné sur le sable
Son doux visage qui me souriait,
Puis il a plu sur cette plage.
Dans cet orage elle a disparu.
I wonder if the way he prononounces "Sable (sabluh) …visage (visaguh) … plage … orage " in the stanza above is the standard way of pronouncing it or if he is doing it to rhyme and for poetic sounds. In these words he seems to pronounce the final "e" even though it is not accented.
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13:54
July 6, 2011
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I think it's poetic licence/fitting in a rhyme. I've heard a lot of French songs do the same.
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14:32
June 29, 2011
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custard_creams said:
I think it's poetic licence/fitting in a rhyme. I've heard a lot of French songs do the same.
Absolutely.
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13:11
July 12, 2011
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In French lyric diction, the final e is pronounced as a schwa when a note is written for it. Otherwise the e is silent. I do not know the rhyme or reason for this, but its how all singers are taught to sing French. I had a teacher who said it was the peculiarity and the beauty of the French language.
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13:29
January 10, 2012
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jpike1028 said:
I had a teacher who said it was the peculiarity and the beauty of the French language.
Yes, the French are very proud of the peculiarity of their language. I know of one French language teacher who said "English is a church, whereas French is a Cathedral".
Thanks for the info, though, it is all very helpful.
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