Course Description
The field of French linguistics, emphasizing such topics as the internal and external history of French; the sounds, forms, and vocabulary of modern French; and the linguistic variation within France and the French-speaking world.
Athena Title
Intro to French Linguistics
Prerequisite
FREN 3010 or FREN 3010H
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of the course students will have acquired a basic knowledge of the history of the French language, of the sounds, forms, and vocabulary of modern French, and of the linguistic variation within France and the French-speaking world. They will demonstrate this general knowledge through exercises and tests and will also investigate a linguistic topic of their choosing in greater detail through a term paper. This specific information they learn about the French language will also increase their understanding of general processes of language change and variation.
Topical Outline
I. Chronological survey of the history of the French language organized according to ten time periods: before the Indo- Europeans, the time of the Gauls, the time of the Barbarian invasions, the Christian period, the Viking incursions, the growth of dialects, the rise of Francien, the period of codification, the rise of public instruction, and the rise of the media. II. Structure of the French language: sounds and spelling, forms in speaking and writing, vocabulary. III. Linguistic Variation: regional languages within France, regional varieties of French within France, francophone areas outside of France, and ongoing changes in the French language.
Syllabus