Ateneo - UPO

DÉCRIRE, NORMER, DÉFENDRE, ILLUSTRER: L'ÉMERGENCE D'UNE LANGUE FRANÇAISE NATIONALE. The course will present, from a historical-linguistic perspective, the period from the first decades of the 16th century to the last years of the 17th century. Two crucial centuries for the formation of modern French, characterised by exceptionally lively experimentation, theoretical reflections and debates on every aspect of the language; by the diffusion of tools aimed at describing and standardising written and spoken French (dictionaries, grammars, poetic and rhetorical manuals . ...); by interventions made by the royal power to promote the use of the national language, which would decisively orientate its evolution (acts of patronage, legislative provisions, foundation of the Académie française...).

Mandatory bibliography:
- Mirelle Huchon, Histoire de la langue française, Paris, Librairie Générale française (« Le Livre de Poche »), 2002 o edizione più recente, capitoli I-V.
- Yvonne Cazal, Gabriella Parussa, Introduction à l’histoire de l’orthographe, Paris, Armand Colin, 2022 (2e édition), parti 1-2.
- documenti e materiali complementari forniti dal docente e pubblicati sulla piattaforma DIR.

Complementary bibliography (optional):
- AAVV, Mille ans de langue française, histoire d’une passion, Paris, Perrin, 2011 (2 t.).
- Gabriel Audisio, Isabelle Rambaud, Lire le français d’hier. Manuel de paléographie moderne XVe-XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Armand Colin, 2023 (6e édition).
- Sabine Lardon, Marie-Claire Thomine, Grammaire française de la Renaissance. Étude morphosyntaxique, Paris, Classiques Garnier, 2009.

Primary objectives: (1) to acquire a basic knowledge of the history of the French language of the 16th-17th centuries; (2) to distinguish the lexical, morphological, syntactic, phonetic and graphic specificities of moyen français, Renaissance French and classical French. Advanced objectives: (3) To master the basic tools for the linguistic and philological study of literary texts composed in the period in question.

Possessing a B2-C1 language proficiency level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Lectures, partly devoted to the exposition of historical, historical-linguistic and theoretical notions, partly to the reading, translation and analysis of texts.

The DIR platform will provide (1) texts presented in class, (2) supplementary documentation and (3) the weekly lecture register.
Non-attending students (i.e. those who have not attended at least 70% of the lectures) will have to agree on supplementary readings with the lecturer.
If you have any questions regarding the course programme, teaching materials, lecture content or the conduct of the examination, please contact the lecturer.

The examination (grade expressed in thirtieths), which will make it possible to assess the degree of achievement of the training objectives indicated, will consist of an oral test lasting approximately 45 minutes overall, structured as follows.
(1) Three questions on topics and texts dealt with in class and/or outlined in the books indicated in the compulsory bibliography (possibly supplemented by reading the optional materials indicated in the "Textbooks" section). Each answer will be awarded 0 to 5 points, taking into consideration both content and clarity of exposition.
(2) Historical-linguistic and philological commentary on two texts (one from the 16th century and one from the 17th century) not analysed in class, but taken from works addressed during the course: the examinee will have 20 minutes to read the texts and prepare the commentary, which he/she will then present. The commentary on each of the two texts will be awarded between 0 and 7.5 points.
The final mark will be the sum of the points awarded for parts (1) and (2).
In order to achieve 18/30, it will be necessary to show that (a) one has mastered the basic historical-linguistic, philological and theoretical notions illustrated during the course, and (b) one understands and is able to place the texts assigned for the examination in a satisfactory historical context. In order to achieve 30/30, students will be required to demonstrate (a) a confident mastery of every aspect of the syllabus, and (b) an understanding and ability to frame in a relevant manner and analyse in depth the texts assigned for the examination.

The course will begin with a brief summary of the main stages in the evolution of the French language from its origins to the 16th century. It will then focus on the specificities of the language in the 16th and 17th centuries, which will be illustrated in conjunction with the presentation of phenomena, events, personalities and works that decisively influenced its evolution: the spread of printing with movable type and the emergence of a book market; the debates on the dignity of the French language, on translation and on relations with other European languages; the compilation of the first dictionaries and grammars; the various forms of promotion of the national vernacular language put in place by the kings of France (acts of patronage, legislative provisions, foundation of the Académie française...). The exposition of theoretical and historical aspects will be accompanied by the reading, translation and historical-linguistic and philological commentary of literary texts.

(1) Knowledge of the main characteristics of 16th-17th century French and the historical and cultural context of reference. (2) Awareness of the processes of lexical, morphological, syntactic, phonetic and graphic transformation of the French language in the period in question. (3) Ability to apply the tools of historical-linguistic and philological analysis acquired during the course to the study of literary texts.