What is french orthography?

French orthography is the set of rules and conventions used for writing the French language. It includes rules for spelling, punctuation, and accent marks. French orthography is based on a modified version of the Latin alphabet, with the addition of several diacritics such as accents, cedillas, and ligatures.

One of the key features of French orthography is the use of diacritics to indicate pronunciation and differentiate between homophones. For example, the acute accent (´) is used to indicate a stressed syllable, while the grave accent (`) is used to indicate an open vowel sound. The circumflex accent (^) is used to indicate a historical vowel that has been dropped, but it is no longer pronounced in most cases.

French orthography also includes rules for the use of capitalization, punctuation marks, and contractions. For example, French requires the use of a space before certain punctuation marks, such as colons and question marks, and the use of a non-breaking space before certain abbreviations, such as "M." for "Monsieur."

Overall, French orthography is relatively complex, with many rules and exceptions that must be learned by students and speakers of the language. However, the rules are generally consistent and standardized across French-speaking countries, making it easier for learners to improve their writing skills.