Fall 2017 |
TR 9:30-10:45 -- KCB 103 |
Note that this class will meet in Geddes (5th floor) on the following dates:
- September 5 and 7
- October 31
- December 5 and 12
- December 19 (final exam)
This course is conducted in French.
Prerequisites
CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics, and one CAS LF 300-level course, or permission of the instructor.
Course content
The course presents a linguistic analysis of the French sound system, with frequent comparisons to the phonetics and phonology of English.
Coverage includes: articulatory phonetics, IPA transcription, phonological rules, register effects and literary pronunciations, syllabic and metrical structure, liaison, intonation, and prosody, as well as the relationship between orthography and spoken language (with occasional reference to dialectal variation and historical changes in the language). Mastery of the linguistic phenomena under study is developed through written homework exercises and tested regularly by means of written quizzes and exams.
Students apply what they have learned to their own pronunciation -- aided by in-class oral exercises and readings of plays, poetry, and prose, and reinforced by regular practice in the Geddes Language Center. Audio and video recordings of students' oral productions are analyzed linguistically in one-on-one meetings with the instructor at regular intervals.
The goals of this course are two-fold: (1) to develop an understanding of the principles that govern French pronunciation; and (2) to put those principles into practice to improve students' own pronunciation and aural comprehension. The knowledge gained through this course will be especially valuable to those who may travel or work in France in the future, and to those who may teach French at some point.
Syllabus - 2017 (provisional, subject to change)
< printable version of the syllabus >
Note: materials on this site are password-protected.
Registered students will receive information about access.
The Geddes Language Center provides online access to audio and video materials. Practice in the Geddes Language Lab offers the advantage of enabling students to record and listen to themselves in comparison with the pronunciation models (using DiLL), which students are expected to do. For more information, see this page.
- D’accord : http://www.bu.edu/geddes/lab/daccord/ (AUDIO)
The audio materials that accompany D'accord are also available from Wiley.
- Le français par le dialogue : http://www.bu.edu/geddes/lab/le-francais-par-le-dialogue/ (AUDIO et VIDEO)
Activities and evaluation
Final grade will be based on
| 8% | Homework (frequent short assignments) |
| 10% | Quizzes (lowest score dropped; no make-ups) |
| 16% | Two written exams |
| 18% | Cumulative final exam: written |
| 11% | Class participation & work with digital recordings |
| 11% | Oral midterm |
| 5% | Final video production |
| 3% | Final poem |
| 18% | Cumulative final exam: oral |
Final exam: 12/19/17 from 9 to 11 am
[Note: Do not make plans to leave Boston before this date!]
Please consult the Blackboard Learn site (http://learn.bu.edu) for additional information, copies of handouts and assignments, and scheduling updatets for the Geddes lab.
Internet resources
A écouter
Enregistrements littérairesPoésie
- Vive Voix : anthologie sonore de poésie (Wheaton)
Poèmes de Baulelaire :
- http://wheatoncollege.edu/vive-voix/auteur/baudelaire/
- http://www.litteratureaudio.com/livre-audio-gratuit-mp3/baudelaire-charles-les-fleurs-du-mal.html
Ionesco :
La leçon : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgxv6wp4ivw
- La cantatrice chauve :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Wer_ohTE8
Chansons
- YOU TUBE - une longue liste
Prononciations régionales
- Les accents des Français http://www.accents-de-france.fr.st/
- The Pronunciation of Canadian French (D. Walker): http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dcwalker/PronCF.pdf
Listen to French on
line