Ateneo - UPO

INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. The course will trace the history of the French language from its origins to the present day, pointing out the key features of each different phase in the history of French (also through the analysis of texts from the 9th to the XXIst century) as well as the main cultural, social and political events or phenomena that have conditioned its evolution.

MANDATORY BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mirelle Huchon, Histoire de la langue française, Paris, Librairie Générale française (« Le Livre de Poche »), 2002; additional documents and materials which will be published on the DIR platform. COMPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY (optional): AAVV, L’histoire de la langue française, Paris, Hatier (« Becherelle Chronologie »), 2022; AAVV, Mille ans de langue française, histoire d’une passion, Paris, Perrin, 2011 (2 t.); Yvonne Cazal, Gabriella Parussa, Introduction à l’histoire de l’orthographe, Paris, Armand Colin, 2022 (2e édition); Michèle Perret, Introduction à l’histoire de la langue française, Paris, Armand Colin, 2020 (5e édition).

Primary objectives: (1) to acquire a basic knowledge of the evolution of the French language in a historical perspective; (2) to distinguish the lexical, morphological, syntactic, phonetic and graphic specificities of the main stages of the language (Ancien and Moyen français, modern and contemporary French). Advanced objectives: (3) to be able to recognise, analyse and comment on notable linguistic aspects of French texts composed from the Middle Ages to the present day.

For students of the Modern Foreign Languages degree, it is recommended that they pass the French Language II exam or possess a B1-B2 language proficiency level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Students of the Master's degree programme in Languages, Cultures, Tourism are required to have a B2 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 commentary of texts.

The DIR platform will provide teaching materials presented in class and supplementary documentation. Those who have not attended at least 70% of the lessons must agree on a supplementary programme with the lecturer. For any doubts regarding the course programme, the teaching materials and the conduct of the examination, please contact the lecturer. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via reference office consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities. Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The examination (grade expressed in X/30), which will assess the degree of achievement of the training objectives indicated, will focus on the content of both the lectures and the texts indicated in the compulsory bibliography (see, in this Syllabus, the "Textbooks" section). The examination will consist of an oral test lasting approximately 30 minutes divided into three parts: (1) Presentation of a specific period in the history of the French language (fundamental aspects of the historical-cultural context of reference; lexical, morpho-syntactic, phonetic and graphic specificities). The answer, assessed taking into account both content and clarity of exposition, will be awarded from 0 to 10 points. (2) Answer to three questions relating to three specific elements of the history of the French language. The total of the three answers, assessed with regard to both content and clarity of exposition, will be awarded between 0 and 10 marks. (3) Reading aloud, translation and linguistic commentary of one or more texts analysed in class (published on the DIR platform). This exercise will be awarded between 0 and 10 points. The final mark will be the sum of the points awarded for parts (1), (2) and (3) of the examination. To achieve a passing grade, students must demonstrate mastery of the main historical, historical-linguistic, and basic theoretical concepts covered during the course, as well as the ability to identify the key elements of the texts analyzed. A more in-depth understanding of the theoretical concepts and the ability to read, translate, and comment on the texts presented in class in a satisfactory manner will lead to a higher grade. To achieve excellence, students must demonstrate complete mastery of every aspect of the syllabus, as well as the ability to read, translate, and comment on the texts presented in class flawlessly. Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SDA) and Special Educational Needs will be provided with dedicated tools and services.

The course will retrace the main stages in the evolution of the French language, from its origins to the present day. It will illustrate the phonetic, morphosyntactic and lexical transformations that, between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, led to the emergence of Proto-French. It will then present the successive stages in the evolution of the French language (ancien and moyen français, Renaissance French, modern and contemporary), recalling in conclusion some of the issues that have been the subject of deep reflection and heated debate in recent years (inclusive language, simplification of orthography, etc.). The presentation of these different stages of the language will be accompanied, on the one hand, by the study of the orthographic, grammatical and rhetorical practices and codifications that characterised them; on the other hand, by their contextualisation in historical perspective. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role played by technological phenomena (introduction of the use of paper, invention of the printing press, etc.), political phenomena (centralisation of power, adoption of French in the drafting of administrative documents, creation of institutions for the protection and promotion of French, etc.), and socio-cultural phenomena (trade and cultural exchanges in the Mediterranean between the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, mass literacy, colonisation, immigration, etc.). The theoretical component, delivered in a lecture format (approximately 50% of class time), will be accompanied and supported by the reading, translation, and linguistic analysis of various literary and documentary texts, conducted in an interactive manner (approximately 50% of class time).

(1) Knowledge of the main stages in the historical evolution of French. (2) Awareness of the processes of lexical, morphological, syntactic, phonetic and graphic transformation of the French language in a diachronic perspective. (3) Ability to read, understand, situate historically and comment linguistically on the texts analysed during the lessons; ability to apply the linguistic analysis tools acquired during the course in a pertinent manner, also to texts unrelated to the corpus analysed during the lessons.