French is a Romance language, which is a modern form of Latin that has been spoken for generations in that part of the former Roman Empire known today as France. While many words and a few word patterns come from other language sources, namely German, Greek and other Romance languages, the majority are derived from directly from Latin. While there are many dialects of French, the standard, for a variety of historical reasons, is the dialect found in and around Paris. It is imitated by all French people who wish to be thought cultured and careful of their speech. Other dialects from other regions of France are associated with the uneducated or country people and are called a patois. The French accent we are attempting is Parisian.
Voice Placement
The voice lies under the soft palate. The lips are slightly forward, and in a bit of a pout. There is not much lip movement or lateral spread.
Rhythm
The main difference between English and French speech rhythm is in the different stress on the syllables. English syllables are stressed and unstressed whereas French syllables are given equal force in a phrase except the last one which is stressed.
Pitch
The pitch of the voice moves up to the last syllables then jumps UP for an unfinished thought or jumps DOWN for a finished thought.