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French Linguistics

Objectives

(1) Develop basic skills of linguistic analysis necessary to understand how the French language works;
(2) Describe phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic properties of French, in a comparative perspective;
(3) Characterize linguistic aspects of different French varieties and of written and spoken language.

General characterization

Code

01100195

Credits

6.0

Responsible teacher

Maria Fernandes Homem de Sousa Lobo Gonçalves

Hours

Weekly - 4

Total - 168

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

Although there are no formal prerequisites, the students are advised to complete the course Introduction to Language Sciences previously and to have a good mastery of the French language. 

Bibliography

Ayres-Bennett, W. & J. Carruthers (com R. Temple) (2001) Studies in the Modern French Language. Problems and Perspectives. Longman.
Battye, Adrian, Marie-Anne Hintze and Paul Rowlett (2000) The French Language Today: A Linguistic Introduction, London – New York: Routledge.Fagyal, Z., D. Kibbee & F. Jenkins (2006) French. A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge Univ. Press. Cambridge.
Léon, Pierre R. (1992) Phonétisme et prononciations du français, Nathan Université, Paris.
Léon, Pierre et Parth Bhatt (2005) Structure du français moderne: introduction à l’analyse linguistique, Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc.Riegel, M., J-C. Pellat & R. Rioul (2018) Grammaire méthodique du français, Quadrige/PUF, Paris, 7ª edição revista.
Tellier, C. (1995) Éléments de syntaxe du français. Presses de l'université de Montréal.
Tranel, B. (1987) The Sounds of French, C.U.P., Cambridge.
Walter, Henriette (1988) Le français dans tous les sens, Paris: Robert Laffont.

Teaching method

The course includes expository sessions and practical sessions.

Evaluation method

Evaluation Methodologies - relevant participation in class(10%), two written tests(60%), written assignments(30%)

Subject matter

1. The French language
1.1. The notion of French language: standard and variation
1.2. French in the context of Romance varieties
1.3. French in the world
1.4. The formation of French and the linguistic lansdcape of France
2. The sounds of french
2.1. Phonetic alphabet and articulatoy properties of French sounds
2.2. Relations between spoken and written language
2.3. Phonological oppositions and synchronic variation
2.4. Syllable and stress
2.5. Schwa
2.6. Liaison
3. Lexicon and word structure
3.1. Lexical structure of French
3.2. Processes of lexical criation
3.3. Word formation processes: compound and derived words
4. Aspects of the syntax and semantics of French
4.1. Basic and derived word order; inversion structures
4.2. Simple and complex sentences
4.3. The pronominal system
4.4. Nominal determination