17750 - Language and Translation - French Language

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students have a knowledge (in terms of morphology, syntax and vocabulary) of French corresponding to level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Foreign Languages.

Course contents

The course, which will be held entirely in French, is divided into two parts:

The first part of the course will focuse on the presentation of the main translation practices and theories. After a theoretical introduction to the history ok translation studies and the exposition of some descriptive and prescriptive theories of literary translation, practical translation work in seminar mode will follow. Translation exercises will be assigned on a weekly basis to be carried out at home and reviewed in class, discussing strategies and choices adopted.


The second part of the course will focus on French languages, and will aim to observe the centrality of language in French culture. A number of theoretical texts will be examined (Nora, Houdebine, Paveau - Rosier, Walter for the history of the French language), together with narrative texts, press and ordinary speeches in order to analyse, also in seminar format, this linguistic imaginary and to see its "concrete" effects in everyday practice.


This first introductory and methodological part will be followed by a second part that will look in depth at some moments in the history of the French language, focusing on certain aspects of "français d'aujourd'hui"; in particular, the concept of linguistic variation, giving examples of diastratic variation (formal/informal register), diatopic variation (the Francophone lexicon, the accent) and in any case the "new" lexicon, starting from authentic and fictional texts.


From the grammatical point of view, the elements corresponding to level C1, indicated as the course progresses, will be studied.


IMPORTANT: The course will be supported by a 20-hour "lettorato" course, held by Prof. Chiara Sassoli, which will take place :
from 29 January to 8 March and from 18 March to 10 May in Lecture Room A at Via Zamboni 32 on Thursdays from 3pm to 5pm.


N.B. on Thursday 1 February, from 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m., the lesson will be held in Classroom C of Via Zamboni 32 and on Thursday 9 May, from 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m., the lesson will be held in Classroom B of Via Zamboni 32.

Readings/Bibliography

Marina Yaguello, Le Grand livre de la langue française, Paris, Seuil, 2003.

(ch. 1 Christiane Marchello Nizia, Le français dans l'histoire et ch. 2 Françoise Gadet, La variation: le français dans l'espace social, régional et international)

Histoire de la langue française:

Henriette Walter, Le français dans tous les sens, Paris, Laffont, 1988

Jacques Charaud, Histoire de la langue française, Paris, PUF, 1969.

Michèle Perret, Introduction à l'histoire de la langue française, Paris, Colin, 2020.

Claude Hagège, Le Français, histoire d'un combat, Paris, Michel Hagège, 86.

Claude Hagège, Le Français et les siècles, Paris, Odile Jacob, 1987.

Ada Giusti, La langue française, Paris, Flammarion, 1997.

Jacqueline Picoche, Christiane Marchello-Nizia, Histoire de la langue française, Paris, Nathan, 1996.

Imaginaire linguistique français:

Cécile Canut, Langue, Paris, Anamosa 2021.

Pierre Nora, Les Lieux de mémoire, Paris, Gallimard, 1984-92.

Marie-Anne Paveau, Laurence Rosier, La langue française. Passions et polémiques, Paris, Vuibert, 2008.

Anne Marie Houdebine, L'imaginaire Linguistique, L'Harmattan, 2005.

Le français dans tous ses états, Paris, Flammarion, 2000.

Grammaire:

Maurice Grevisse, Le bon Usage,

Grammaire progressive du français : avec 600 exercices : perfectionnement / Maïa Grégoire, Alina Kostucki (si trova alla biblioteca del dipartimento di lingue)

BIDAUD Françoise, Nouvelle grammaire du français pour italophones, Torino, UTET Università. Si consiglia anche l'acquisto del volume di esercizi: Exercices de grammaire française pour italophones, Torino, UTET Università.

Traduction:

B. J. Podeur, La pratica della traduzione, Napoli, Liguori

MF Merger, L. Sini, Le nouveau cote-à-cote, Amon, 2013.

non attending students:

As this is a language course, it is difficult to recommend really effective alternatives to attending lessons. Students who do not attend classes must in any case study the points indicated in the programme independently, using the texts recommended in the bibliography. PAVEAU-ROSIER, BIDAUD (both volumes) and PODEUR are compulsory.

Teaching methods

The course is based on lectures, mainly seminars, in which the teacher and students discuss the linguistic and translation strategies best suited to the context.
The corpus of texts will be provided by the teacher at the beginning of the course and shared on the platform, where the students' translations will also be collected in order to make comparisons and reflections.
Two intermediate tests will be organised, one at the beginning of the course and one just before the exam, which will be used for the students' self-assessment of their progress. These tests will not count towards the final examination.

Assessment methods

For students and non-attending students.

The examination consists of three parts:

For the French linguistics part (points 10) a written test on French Grammar. 


An oral interview on the dossier of texts analysed in class (10 points).

The oral interview aims to assess the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student, who will be invited to compare the texts analysed during the course (3 points). The student will have to demonstrate that he/she is able to move through the programme, understanding the relationships between the themes addressed (3 points). The student must also show that he/she has a good command of the French language in terms of oral production (4 points).

For the translation part (10 points)
A written translation test on a text proposed by the teacher.

Teaching tools

Teaching aids (exercises, readings, texts to be translated, etc.) will be provided to students on a weekly basis. All materials will be made available online.

Office hours

See the website of Licia Reggiani