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I'd like to have this in narrow-detail IPA or by explanations of the sort "pronounce it as if it were spelled like ####" (made-up-frenchish-orthography string).

Also: is this a reasonable sentence, say, spoken\heard internally upon finding one needs a certain kind of screwdriver, and remembering that one has one?

Please state your dialect or register for any answer or answers. Thanks!!

(Originally came up in discussing good example utterances for demonstrating Academy French to American English users)

Ayer AGG'TDd'E-A
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  • I'd say it's reasonable, though it might cause someone to crack a smile on realizing how it sounds. Personally I would do liaison only between the first three words. – Luke Sawczak Jun 05 '22 at 20:10
  • I think it is a question of splitting it in rythmic groups. I'd say it as thee words: "onena un enhaut"... but I am not a native, and I suspect that it might also depend on the exact context. – Roger V. Jun 06 '22 at 06:15
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    it is awfull for a native speaker to say that, at least to me. Dont bother the final hein, it will come after a rather long pause. There is only one liaison bwnt on and en, rougly speaking onnen a un en haut, just an extra n to apply. – mh-cbon Jun 06 '22 at 06:51
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    @mh-cbon Your comment is surprising. The liaison between en and a is mandatory and always done and the sentence is considered unremarkable by everyone I ask, not at all awful. – jlliagre Jun 06 '22 at 07:41
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    These questions always surprise my wife and my cat when I start suddenly repeating them loud. I mostly agree with @mh-cbon, except that I would add the a in the first mashup: onnena un en haut. As from where: Versailles. – WoJ Jun 06 '22 at 07:48
  • you are right. not sur why it slept out my mind. onnena un en haut sorry for that. – mh-cbon Jun 06 '22 at 08:00
  • @WoJ Are both your wife and your cat native French? ;-) – jlliagre Jun 06 '22 at 14:36
  • Au Québec le hein va se prononcer comme han, donc ɑ̃, un des sons qu'on retrouve en amont de la phrase... Ça reste que c'est de la p'tite bière prononcer ça à mon avis. – ninja米étoilé Jun 06 '22 at 22:04
  • @Sé1lanceLaléa Une ptite bière avec a piece of cake ;-) – jlliagre Jun 07 '22 at 08:35
  • Worth noting that en haut blocks liaison as a minimal pair to en eau. – livresque Jun 08 '22 at 01:36

2 Answers2

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On en a un en haut, hein ? is a reasonable and common French sentence. It doesn't surprise French ears at all. There are only mandatory (the first two) or forbidden liaisons here so no variants to expect on that side.

I pronounce it that way: /ɔ̃.n‿ɑ̃.n‿a.œ̃.ɑ̃.o ‖ ɛ̃/ which is close to Parisian French except un that I pronounce /œ̃/ instead of /ɛ̃/ there.

Here is a video where On en a un en haut ici is said around 3'13".

See also: Problem with the pronunciation of sequences of “in”, “a” and “un” vowel sounds

Cimbali
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jlliagre
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OnNONa UHnonHO (uh is nasal; ho rhymed with hoe)

Sarita Premley
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    As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Community Jun 06 '22 at 16:58
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    Actually, the pronunciation is wrong, you confuse "en" and "on" at the beginning. – gouessej Jun 07 '22 at 09:38
  • I don't think it can be wrong, I mean, what dialect and what corresponding IPA are you imagining? Should I be speaking French, here? In certain/any contexts? Still need mentoring. – Ayer AGG'TDd'E-A Nov 16 '22 at 08:15
  • Actually, we French would slightly simplify the pronunciation of "OnNONa UHnonHO", effectively turning it into "Hon Hon Hon" when speaking at native speeds. We might consider adding some context to make the swap self-evident, usually adding "BAGUETTE" at the end, but it really depends if we're home talking to our family, or chatting with a stranger in a less casual French.

    Anyway, something close to "Hon Hon Hon BAGUETTE" is how I would pronounce "On en a un en haut" by default.

     – Derniers Outrages Nov 16 '22 at 09:54