Spring 2004

FR 359 • VARIETIES OF FRENCH

Course Description

This course will be taught in French. This course will analyze a wide range of varieties of French and their background, including historical variation, linguistic registers (e.g. standard French vs. popular French), and dialectal and geographical varieties. The course will be divided in several parts: after having discussed variation and varieties in language in general, we will analyze the successive historical stages of French and their background, pointing out, for example, what forces were at work in the historical process of standardization. Subsequently, we will discuss the linguistic registers of French (e.g."français standard" vs. "français familier" vs. "français soigne"), define their differences, relate them to their context and specific circumstances, and analyze what they predict in terms of language change. Finally, we will discuss geographical varieties--dialects and French outside France--and address topics such as prescriptivism, language policy, and standardization in the past and at present, using the evidence discussed in this course. Exercises, linguistic evidence, and examples will illustrate the discussion.

Grading Policy

FINAL EXAM: No COMPUTATION OF GRADE: *Three written exams during the semester (75%) *Reading assignments and class discussion (15%) *One short paper (10%)

Texts

-Walter, Henriette. 1997.Le français dans tous les sens. Paris : Livre de Poche. ISBN : 2-253-14001-5 -Selected articles.

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