Introduction

This book explores how the visual structure of written language is transformed into the sound structure of spoken language. It focuses on the intricate relationship between typographical features—including punctuation, paragraphing, and syntactic structuring—and prosodic cues such as pitch, rhythm, pauses, and intonation. These two systems, often treated as separate modalities, are in fact closely intertwined: punctuation marks and formatting decisions shape how a text is silently read, while prosody—through intonational contours, phrasing, and emphasis—structures its spoken delivery. In particular, the book examines how both native (L1) and non-native (L2) speakers of French interpret typographical features prosodically when reading aloud, revealing the cognitive, linguistic, and phonetic mechanisms that underlie the vocalization of written text. Through this lens, prosody emerges as a dynamic interface between written and spoken forms—a bridge that transforms visual symbols into expressive, intelligible speech.