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Varieties of French

Module description

You have probably  noticed variations in the grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary of French. A major focus on this module is Colloquial French – the informal variety used in everyday conversation. This will be particularly helpful in preparing you to live in a French-speaking country, whether or not on your year abroad.  We also explore  some regional and social accents, Canadian French and French Creoles of the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. The module will enhance your understanding both of the French language and of aspects of the French-speaking world, and is also helpful for final-year language work.

Prerequisites: a good command of standard French (e.g. from MLF1001), and either MLF1103, or willingness to do  some 'catch-up' work during the previous summer. If you’re taking MLF1052, and wish to do this module, you must first contact a.b.coveney@exeter.ac.uk.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to:

• To explore a range of varieties of French, in terms of both linguistic features and social context;
• To develop your familiarity with linguistic concepts and terminology;
• To enhance your understanding of the nature of different varieties of language [including the standard, regional, social and geographical varieties; creoles].

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate familiarity with the sociolinguistic and linguistic characteristics of a range of varieties of French
• 2. Show an enhanced awareness of aspects of French society and the societies of other French speaking countries
• 3. Gain an ability to identify features of a range of varieties [especially phonetic and grammatical]

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Understand and use a range of linguistic terms
• 5. Access and use critically printed and, where appropriate, electronic learning resources identified as useful by the course tutor(s), and, to a limited extent, discover other useful materials independently
• 6. Show awareness of the origins and nature of cultural differences between the foreign country and your own

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Acquire reading skills, analysis and evaluation, and presentation skills, written and oral
• 8. Demonstrate an ability to analyse texts linguistically
• 9. Undertake defined learning activities with a measure of autonomy, asking for guidance where necessary

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• This module explores a range of varieties of contemporary French, mostly in their spoken form, progressing from Standard French to less familiar varieties.
• The module considers both the sociolinguistic context in which these varieties are spoken as well as their linguistic characteristics. Regional accents of French are studied, including French as spoken in Canada. For phonetics and phonology, use is made of recordings and transcriptions of different varieties. Working-class Parisian speech [français populaire] is examined in some detail especially the grammar, along with French Creoles, as spoken in francophone countries such as the Seychelles, Mauritius and Haïti.
• The module is linked thematically with MLF 2012 'Evolution of the French Language', MLF3034 'Sociolinguistics of French' and MLF3046 'Dialectology in France', but it can be taken independently of them.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Prescribed Text:

• R. Ball: Colloquial French Grammar (Blackwell, 2000)
• Plus various articles and chapters available via ELE.

Key words search

Linguistics, French