1,2,3,4Amity University Jharkhand, India.
This study examines pronunciation challenges among learners of French as a Foreign Language (FFL) in a multilingual university context in Jharkhand, India. Drawing on data from 60 undergraduate and postgraduate students, the research analyses learner production across words of increasing syllabic complexity using a structured Diagnostic Pronunciation Analysis framework. The findings reveal systematic phonological restructuring rather than random mispronunciation. Learners consistently simplify complex consonant clusters, insert epenthetic vowels, denasalise French nasal vowels, centralise front rounded vowels, and substitute the uvular rhotic /ʁ/ with an alveolar variant. These patterns suggest strong influence from learners' first-language phonotactic preferences, particularly the dominance of CV and CVC syllable structures common in Indo-Aryan languages.
Importantly, the frequency and intensity of repair strategies increase with syllable length, indicating sensitivity to structural complexity. The results are interpreted through Interlanguage Theory and the Markedness Differential Hypothesis, highlighting the role of L1 transfer and structural markedness in shaping learner phonology. The study contributes empirical data from a linguistically underrepresented region and underscores the need for explicit pronunciation instruction in French classrooms where grammar-focused teaching predominates. By linking phonological patterns to multilingual background and instructional context, the research provides insights into L2 pronunciation development in resource-constrained settings and offers pedagogical implications for improving phonetic awareness and classroom practice.
Keywords: Interlanguage phonology; Syllable structure; French as a foreign language; L2 pronunciation; Multilingual learners.
How to cite this article: Verma D, Ranjan S, Sarkar A, Shekar A. Pronunciation Restructuring and Syllable Complexity in French as a Foreign Language: Evidence from a Multilingual Indian Context. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 859-870. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.96
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None