Why does French sound the way it does? What does it mean to have a (regional or foreign) accent? How can linguistic and socio-historical factors explain pronunciation differences in the French-speaking world? Which differences are perceptible and/or carry social meaning, and why? This course provides an introduction to the formal study of sound, as applied to French data. Through transcription and acoustic analysis, students enhance their ability to distinguish sound contrasts used in French and other languages and work collectively to formulate and evaluate hypotheses about sound systems.