The best reward comes from knowing the information is making an impact. It is an essential component in the study of the French language. It is my belief that it is also the first step. Many students have difficulty in excavating the many layers of complexity demanded in turning written French into precisely pronounced oral French. I therefore had to find ways to motivate and encourage students to travel this bumpy road while avoiding losing them along the journey.
Phonetic symbols are great in scholarly texts or reports.
They are death in many French 101 classrooms. Converting individual French sounds into words can also be a formidable task. I really thrive on guiding students through this process. Each step of the study inches toward a better grasp of the predictable unit of sound as well as the uncovering of variations or exceptions in sounds and spelling. French has to be pronounced correctly to convey meaning correctly.