Linguistics: Variation in Contemporary French

Teacher(s)

Avanzi Mathieu (compensates Simon Anne-Catherine); Simon Anne-Catherine;

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

Examination of the usage (spoken and written) of present-day French reveals that the language is subject to significant variations that affect, among others, pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax. This course offers a series of theoretical and methodological tools for the identification, description and analysis of linguistic variants, and attempts to explain the causes of this variation. The approach is both disciplinary (phonology, lexicology, syntax) and sociolinguistic. The course aims to develop reflection about the idea of 'reference French' and about the characteristics of the different 'varieties' of French, whether regional, social or stylistic.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	By the end of this course students will be able to ¿ Identify linguistic variation (variables and variants) in spoken and written French usage, at the phonetic-phonological, written, morphological, lexical and syntactical levels; ¿ Describe variants in a qualitative manner, in relation to ¿reference French¿; ¿ Interpret the social value of a variant by relating it to one or more dimensions of variation (social, geographical, stylistic, etc.); ¿ Distinguish between the normative and scientific viewpoints on language, and take a critical perspective on value judgements relative to usage of French.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The following questions will be considered: which aspects of French pronunciation vary (vowels, consonants, liaison, schwa) and why? What do the phonological systems of different varieties of French (in Belgium, in the south of France, in Quebec, etc.) have in common? What questions, and what problems, are posed by gender-neutral writing (making it possible to ensure equality of representations between men and women) and the feminisation of job titles, etc.? How can one describe the origins and status of lexical regionalisms (Belgicisms, Helvetisms, etc.)? Is the syntax of the spoken language the same as that of the written language? Etc.

Teaching methods

Formal lectures and practical work sessions in small groups.

Evaluation methods

Written examination in the January session. The September examination may be oral or written, depending on the number of students enrolled.

Other information

Instruction in French linguistics has been designed in a progressive fashion over the three annual units of the Bachelor's degree. The first unit focuses on command of standard language at the same time as taking a critical distance in relation to the standard (LROM1111 Linguistics: mastery and analysis of Standard French). The second annual unit is devoted to the study of the French language in its variation, social or geographic (LROM1221 Linguistics: variation in contemporary French) and historical (LROM1222 Linguistics: historical approach to French in the Latin Empire). The third annual unit is a training in the analysis of the French language as it used in context, in particular in the identification of genres (and of registers) in texts and discourse (LROM1331 Linguistics: analysis of French in context ).

Bibliography

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Faculty or entity

ROM