French Language I (Language and Phonology) Professor Michela Murano

French Language I (Language and Phonology)

Professor Michela Murano

The course sets out to equip the student with the basic theoretical and practical knowledge of French phonetics and phonology needed to consolidate their French oral skills (speaking and comprehension). The course will also survey the phonetic and phonological features of the varieties of French spoken in other French-speaking countries.

– Transcription de l’oral et API.

– Éléments de phonétique articulatoire, acoustique et perceptive.

– Système phonologique du français: voyelles, consonnes, semi-voyelles.

– Variétés du français parlé: la synchronie dynamique.

– Syllabe, pause, débit.

– Accentuation, rythme, mélodie, intonation.

– E caduc.

– Liaison et enchaînement.

– Les modes phonétiques du français.

The lecturer will provide additional information on the reading list during the course and post it on Blackboard.

Classroom lectures that comprise listening to audio recordings and relative phonetic analysis.

Final oral exam in French.

Students must check Blackboard regularly for course updates and materials.

Three-year course students: each year of Language exams must start with either the written or oral intermediate test. The student must pass both intermediate tests to qualify for the final French Language I (Language and Phonology) exam. The student must attend the French Language Practical Classes (Year 1, Three-year Course students) to prepare for the intermediate tests.

The course is open also to one-year course students (title: French Language and Linguistics) and to two-year course students (title: French Language and Linguistics 1, Two-year Course) of the Language Sciences Faculty and those taking the interfacolty degree course. These students must take the French Language Practical Classes (One-year Course students; Year 1, Two-year Course students) and are referred to the course programme for what concerns the syllabus and the assessment method for the Linguistics part.

Further information can be found on the lecturer's webpage at http://docenti.unicatt.it/web/searchByName.do?language=ENG or on the Faculty notice board.

French Language Practical Classes (Year 1, Three-year Course Students)

Dr. Valérie Durand; Dr. Michela Murano; Dr. Franca Orione; Dr. Béatrice Remillieux; Dr. Carolina Viola

The student will learn and/or systematize their basic knowledge of French phonetics, morphosyntax and vocabulary with the aim of developing the spoken and written abilities needed to interact and communicate in a correct and aware manner.

– Develop oral comprehension and production abilities for communicating in everyday situations;

– Discrimination and production of French phonemes and structures of rhythm and tone, also through knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

– Basic morphology and syntax.

– Basic vocabulary.

READING LIST

Texts for all groups:

CD-Rom Neuf contes pour nos enfants, Ed. De vive voix.

The CD can be purchased/downloaded from internet. The coursepack can be obtained from EDUCatt (Università Cattolica, Via Necchi, 9).

Reading lists by group:

Groupe D (avancé)

Lectures will revolve around the following activities:

– listening and oral comprehension;

• 
  phonetic tension and correction;
  

– explanation of grammatical features; drills; sentence translation;

– preparing to take dictation.

ASSESSMENT METHOD

The final exam is split into a written and an oral part (called ‘intermediate tests’).

The written exam will test the student’s ability to take dictation and their knowledge of French grammar with written comprehension and production. The oral exam will draw on passages from the “Neuf contes pour nos enfants” CD to test the student’s ability to interact, recount and express their views on everyday matters. Final grades will take account of phonetic, grammatical and lexical correctness. In addition, they will be quizzed in French on the morphosyntactic structures dealt with in class and their ability to read the IPA.

NOTES

First-year students will be split into four groups:

– A beginner/false beginner;

– B intermediate;

– C intermediate;

– D advanced.

All groups will dedicate several hours per week to developing specifically their oral French skills: phonetic discrimination and correction, listening, comprehension and oral expression.

The student must regularly attend lectures to progress their learning benefits in an orderly manner and to achieve the course aims. Students unable to attend lectures must contact the course instructor once lessons begin.

Information on how the practical classes are organized can be found on the French notice board at the Via Morozzo della Rocca 2/A campus, ground floor, facing the study room.

A recovery course has been scheduled exclusively for second- and third-year students who either have not yet passed the first-year exam or did not finish their studies within the prescribed timeframe. The recovery course is held by Dr. Durand during the teaching year in accordance with the Faculty’s regular teaching hours. Students are strongly advised to attend lectures regularly.

Further information can be found on the lecturer's webpage at http://docenti.unicatt.it/web/searchByName.do?language=ENG, or on the Faculty notice board.

French Language Practical Classes (One-year Course Students; Year 1, Two-year Course Students)

Dr. Isabelle Morel

COURSE AIMS

The course has two aims:

1. Provide and consolidate the student’s basic knowledge of French to develop their oral comprehension and output abilities and to teach them how to write simple acts of speech on general topics and on everyday life.

The student is expected to achieve the B1 threshold of the European Language Framework of Reference, for which the corresponding level in French is the international DELF Niveau B1 Certificate (formerly DELF grade I) issued by the French Ministry for Public Education at its cultural centres.

2. Develop the student’s written comprehension skills, consolidating their ability to read, understand and translate complete literary texts in preparation for the French Language and Literature exam held by Professor Marisa Verna and the Language and Linguistics 1 exam held by Dr. Michela Murano.

COURSE CONTENT

Study of phonetics and basic grammar. Basic vocabulary to communicate in everyday situations. Development of listening and comprehension abilities with the aid of audiovisuals. Development of the ability to read a literary text.

Semester 1:

Language acquisition handbook, selection of situations and dialogues:

Claire Miquel, Vite et Bien 1, Cle International.

Semester 2:

Recommended bilingual dictionary:

The literary text will be indicated on Dr. Morel’s Blackboard course page.

Language lessons in the classroom, progressing quickly from the basic structural elements - phonetics, lexicon, word formation and syntax - for beginners to listening activities, repetition of acts of speech and structural grammar exercises.

Final exam in French split into two parts, as follows:

1. short written test to verify thte student’s written comprehension and knowledge of basic vocabulary and morphosyntax. The student will be asked to listen to a French text and to respond to the oral comprehension questionnaire and to complete grammar exercises;

2. Once the student has passed the oral comprehension part, they can proceed to the oral language part, which will consist of reading, translating and commenting a French-language passage taken from the literary text in preparation for the literature or linguistics course. The language exam will be marked out of 30 and the final result will be computed using the following assessment grid: 10 marks for oral comprehension; 5 for the written test; 8 for phonetics; 4 for correct morphosyntax; and 3 for fluency.

It is mandatory that the student sit the written and oral parts of the language exam on the same day as the literature exam held by Professor Marisa Verna. The student must pass the language exam to qualify for the Literature exam, which must be sat in the same session, or the Linguistics exam, which must be sat in and no later than the same exam session.

NOTES

The course is open to students reading Foreign Languages and Literature (first-level degree) who plan to take a one-year or two-year course in a third language (Language C); to students of the Arts Faculty taking French (10 credits); and Master’s Degree students reading Language Sciences and Foreign Languages, Literature and Cultures who plan to take a one-year or two-year course in a third language.