An Inclusive French Pronunciation Online Tool with AI-based Practice Exercises

In this presentation, I introduce an online pedagogical tool that aims to assist beginner-level French instructors in teaching pronunciation, while also providing students with supplemental exercises to practice challenging French phonetic features outside the classroom. Grounded in second language acquisition research, the tool promotes explicit pronunciation instruction, variability of input sources, and learner autonomy. By incorporating a range of voice qualities and French varieties, it enhances students’ ability to perceive and produce diverse phonetic features, while also raising awareness of sociolinguistic variations across the Francophone world. Additionally, the tool includes AI-driven speech-to-text exercises that offer immediate feedback, facilitating independent practice and reinforcing classroom learning. This approach responds to the challenges many instructors face in teaching pronunciation effectively within constrained timeframes and is particularly relevant for adult learners whose implicit language learning capacity may be reduced. Ultimately, this project aims to equip instructors with a deeper understanding of phonetics and pronunciation, while giving students access to interactive and inclusive resources to strengthen their French pronunciation skills. Through the integration of theoretical insights and cutting-edge technology, the project seeks to transform pronunciation instruction in beginner French courses.