This thesis explores differences of opinion in the
descriptions of French phonology. Chapter I pursues
reasons for existing differences of opinion, Chapter II
investigates the articulation and phonemic status of
sounds, while Chapter III presents a critical examination
of currently used pronunciation textbooks.
It was found that linguists tend to disagree about
both the articulation as well as the phonemic classification
of certain consonants, vowels, and semi-vowels. Because of
this, two distinct styles had to be described for standard
French, an informal style with a minimum number of phonemic
contrasts, and a formal style with a maximum number of phonemic
contrasts. Only by describing these two styles could
some of the widely divergent viewpoints be reconciled.