French of France

In Paris, nasal vowels are no longer pronounced as in traditional Parisian French: /ɑ̃/ → [ɒ̃], /ɛ̃/ → [æ̃], /ɔ̃/ → [õ] and /œ̃/ → [æ̃]. Many distinctions are lost: /a/ and /ɑ/, /ɛ/ and /ɛː/, /ø/ and /ə/, /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ and /nj/ and /ɲ/. Otherwise, some speakers still distinguish /a/ and /ɑ/ in stressed syllables, but they pronounce the letter "â" as [aː]: pâte [paːt].

In the south of France, nasal vowels have not changed and are still pronounced as in traditional Parisian French: enfant [ɑ̃ˈfɑ̃], pain [pɛ̃], bon [bɔ̃] and brun [bʁœ̃]. Many distinctions are lost. At the end of words, most speakers still distinguish /e/ and /ɛ/: both livré and livret are pronounced [liˈvʁe]. In closed syllables, they no longer distinguish /ɔ/ and /o/ or /œ/ and /ø/: both notre and nôtre are pronounced [nɔtʁ̥], and both jeune and jeûne are pronounced [ʒœn]. The distinctions of /a/ and /ɑ/ and of /ɛ/ and /ɛː/ are lost. Older speakers pronounce all es: chaque [ˈʃakə] and vêtement [ˈvɛtəmɑ̃].

In the north, both /a/ and /ɑ/ are pronounced as [ɔ] at the end, with là is pronounced [lɔ] and mât [mɔ].

Phonemic long vowels are still maintained: pâte [pɑːt] and fête [fɛːt].[3] Before /ʁ/, /a/ changes to [ɑː]: guitare is pronounced [ɡiˈtɑːʁ] and voir [vwɑːʁ].