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 is divided into three parts:

A first part will aim to underline the centrality of linguistic imagery in French culture. Some theoretical texts (Nora, Houdebine, Paveau - Rosier, Walter for the history of the French language) will be examined, together with narrative texts, press and ordinary speeches in order to analyse in a seminar format this linguistic imaginary and to see its "concrete" effects on daily practice.


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

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

A third part of the course is devoted to translation exercises from French into Italian. A theoretical introduction to the history of translation and an exposition of some prescriptive theories of particular usefulness for translation practice will be followed by practical translation work in seminar mode. Translation exercises will be assigned on a weekly basis, to be carried out independently at home and reviewed collectively in class, discussing strategies and choices adopted.

Readings/Bibliography

Histoire de la langue française: (un testo a scelta)

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: (letture scelte)

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 20)

A oral test on the history of the French language (10 points)

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 (5 points). The student will have to demonstrate that he/she is able to move through the programme, understanding the relationships between the themes addressed (5 points). The student must also show that he/she has a good command of the French language in terms of oral production (5 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