History of the French Language
Code: 103358 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501913 English and French | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2501913 English and French | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2502533 French Studies | OB | 2 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Xavier Blanco Escoda
- Email:
- Xavier.Blanco@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- (fre)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Prerequisites
This course has no pre-requisites.
Objectives and Contextualisation
- To provide students with a global vision of the main historical events and the main social and cultural processes that have marked the evolution and diffusion of the French language (external history of the French language), specially in its initial stages .
- To make students familiar with changes that have taken place in the phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics and the lexicon of the French language throughout its history (internal history of the French language), with special attention to such phases that are distant from the contemporany usage of French.
- To train the students to relate the knowledge acquired in external and internal history of the French language with their other working languages and with their cultural baggage.
Competences
- English and French
- Apply the techniques of French oral and written expression corresponding to different levels of competence.
- Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
- Respect the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- Students must know the methodology and terminology associated to the linguistic analysis of the French language.
- French Studies
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history and culture of France and French-speaking countries.
- Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
- Respect the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- Students must know and apply techniques of oral and written expression in the French language.
- Students must know the methodology and terminology associated to the linguistic analysis of the French language.
Learning Outcomes
- Analysing a contemporary fact and relating it to its historical background.
- Analysing and applying the specific methodologies and terminology of the linguistic analysis of the French language.
- Analysing and making linguistic remarks in the several fields of study (phonetics, phonology, morphology, lexicon, semantics) of the French language.
- Analysing the main linguistic variation phenomena of French (historical, geographical, social and pragmatic variation).
- Correctly pronounce in French language.
- Correctly pronouncing in French language.
- Defining in a typological manner the main phenomena of the French language and relating them with similar phenomena of other romance languages.
- Effectively working in teams and respecting different opinions.
- Explaining the specific concepts of the French language, linguistics and literature.
- Identifying the grammar component of the basic linguistic phenomena (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, semantics and discourse) of the analysis of the French language.
- Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
- Interpreting the content of written texts in French language of various kinds.
- Relating elements and factors involved in the development of scientific processes.
- Solving problems autonomously.
- Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in its several fields of study.
Content
HISTORY OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE
1. FROM LATIN TO PROTO-FRENCH
1.1. External history of Proto-French
1.2. Internal history of Proto-French
2. THE OLD FRENCH
2.1. External history of Old French
2.2. Internal history of Old French
3. THE MIDDLE FRENCH
3.1. External history of Middle French
3.2. Internal history of Middle French
4. FROM THE FRENCH OF THE RENAISSANCE TO CONTEMPORARY FRENCH
NB: the gender perspective will be introduced both in internal history (e.g. evolution of masculine / feminine forms) and in external history (e.g. role of prominent female personalities, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine or Christine de Pizan in their creative and linguistic context).
Methodology
The teaching methodology is mainly based on:
- Lectures with ICT support and collective discussion.
- Critical reading (language, dating, theme) of texts that have marked a milestone in the history of the French language.
- Viewing and comment of audiovisual materials.
- Exercises of historical grammar, linguistic change and evolution of the lexicon.
- Oral expositions of the students.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes with ICT support | 50 | 2 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutoring and exercises in virtual environment | 12 | 0.48 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Study and proposed readings | 85 | 3.4 |
Assessment
The evaluation of the course will be continuous and will include tests, exercises and papers delivered throughout the semester, and active participation during classes. It will include at least two exams, one of them partial and one of synthesis.
To participate in the make-up activities, the students must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities whose weight equals a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade. Only students who, having failed, have at least a final average grade of 3.5 out of 10 will have the right to re-examination. Re-examination will consists in a global remedial exam. Oral presentations and tasks related to daily teaching activities are non-recoverable.
Students who have completed less than 2/3 of the evaluation activities will be considered 'NOT EVALUABLE'.
At the time of the completion of each evaluation activity, students will be informed of the procedure and date of review of the evaluation.
Plagiarism: The total or partial plagiarism of any exercise, examination or paper will automatically be considered FAILURE (0). PLAGIARISM is to copy from unidentified sources, either a single phrase or more, presenting it as your own production. It constitutes a serious offense.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activities proposed in class (or through the virtual campus) | 40% | 0 | 0 | 4, 1, 2, 7, 9, 3, 5, 6, 14, 15, 8 |
| Test 1 | 30% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 4, 1, 2, 7, 9, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Test 2 | 30% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 4, 1, 2, 7, 9, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
Bibliography
Audisio, Gabriel et Rambaud, Isabelle (2003): Lire le français d’hier, Paris: Armand Colin.
Blanco, Xavier et Bogacki Krzysztof (2014): Introduction à l'histoire de la langue française, Bellaterra: Servei de Publicacions de la UAB.
Bruneau Charles (1969): Petite histoire de la langue française, 2 vols, Paris: A Colin.
Chaurand, Jacques (1972): Histoire de la langue française, Paris: PUF.
Chaurand, Jacques (1977): Introduction à l'histoire du vocabulaire français, Paris: Bordas.
Cohen, Marcel (1967): Histoire d’une langue : le français. Paris: Éditions sociales.
Hélix, Laurence (2011): Histoire de la langue française, Paris: Ellipses.
Huchon, Mireille (2002): Histoire de la langue française, Paris: Librairie Générale Française.
Marchello-Nizia, Christiane (1999): Le français en diachronie. Douze siècles d’évolution. Paris: Ophrys.
Perret, Michèle (2003): Introduction à l’histoire de la langue française, Paris: Armand Colin.
Picoche, Jacqueline et Christiane Marchello-Nizia (1989): Histoire de la langue française, Paris: Nathan.
Rey, Alain (1993) (dir.): Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, 2 vols, Paris: Le Robert.
Wartburg, Walther von (1969) : Évolution et structure de la langue française, Berne: Francke.