prononçant

Prononçant is the present participle of the French verb prononcer, which means to pronounce. As a present participle, it indicates an ongoing action and is most commonly used with en to form a gerundial clause, for example: en prononçant lentement les mots, on améliore l’articulation. The form can also function as a descriptive adjective, but this usage is rare and often replaced by constructions such as qui prononce or by the noun prononciation.

Orthography and morphology: prononçant is spelled with a cedilla under the c (prononçant) to preserve the /s/ sound before the a in accordance with French spelling rules for -cer verbs. The infinitive prononcer and the present participle prononçant share the same root, with the -ant ending marking the present participle.

Usage and contexts: in linguistic or phonetic descriptions, prononçant appears in clauses that discuss articulation or enunciation, typically in the en- + present participle construction. A typical example is: « En prononçant clairement les syllabes, l’orateur articulait distinctement. » Direct adjectival use to modify a noun is rare; speakers more often rely on phrases such as « qui prononce » or on the noun « prononciation. »

Relation to related terms: prononçant is related to prononcer (to pronounce), prononciation (pronunciation), and prononcé (pronounced). It is distinct from énonciation, which refers to enunciation or utterance in a broader communicative sense. See also orthographic notes on -cer verbs in French.

Note: in English-language contexts, the direct equivalent of prononçant is pronouncing.