Course aims:

integrating previous knowledge of French culture and civilization
introducing specific terminology
diachronic presentation of the evolution of French : from its origins to future projections
approaching the above knowledge from a synchronic perspective ( new European borders , globalization )
Integrating knowledge into today’s multicultural and multi-linguistic context

Course Entry Requirements:

-

Course contents:

1. Theoretical preliminaries: language, dialect, patois, jargon, slang, pidgin and creolized language. 2. Linguistic map of Europe. Romance languages. Eastern Romania and Western Romania. The origins of French: substratum and superstratum. Pre-Gallic linguistic remains. The Gauls. The Roman conquest. The Gallo-Roman language. The Franks. 3. Chronology of the French language. The first documents in Romance language. The Oaths of Strasbourg. Ecclesiastical texts. 4. Old French. Linguistic map of France langue d’oc (the language of southern France) and langue d’oïl (the language of northern France). Promoters of written language: clerics, troubadours and trouveres, chroniclers, jugglers, copyists, patrons of the arts. Spelling and phonetics. 5. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Academies and competitions in the service of the language itself: the Floral Games, the Puys d’Arras, the Court of Blois. Printing and graphic innovations. The first manifestos of the French language: Deffence & illustration of the French language. Sciences and language enrichment: the doublets (popular developments vs. scholarly creations). 6. French in classical and post-classical era. Of the proper use of language. The grammar of Port Royal. The Universal Dictionary of Furetière. The French language over the Atlantic: Canada and Louisiana. 7. The French in the Enlightenment era .The Encyclopaedia. France and the DOM - TOM ("Overseas territories of France"): French of the metropolis, the creolized language of the Antilles, the pidgin of the African colonies. French language in Indochina. 8. Universal influence of French: French - language of the elites, of politics and diplomacy. From Francophilia to Francophonie. Spheres of influence of the French language and civilization. The new linguistic map of the world: the expansion of the French colonial empire. Facts and language trends in contemporary France: Franglais, slang, verlan.

Teaching methods:

Lecture, conversation, exemplification.

Learning outcomes:

O1. Acquisition and comprehension of the fundamental concepts, theories, and methods of the specialization, their appropriate use within professional communication contexts. O2. Use of basic knowledge to explain and interprete various types of concepts, situations, processes, projects, etc. related to the area of study/activity O3. Application of basic principles and methods under expert supervision in order to solve problems or deal with specific situations related to the specialized area of study

Learning outcomes verification and assessment criteria:

A two-hour written examination (60% of the final grade) A mid-term essay (40% of the final grade)

Recommended reading:

Hagège, Claude : Le français, histoire d’un combat, Editions 4. Michel Hagège, Le Livre de Poche, Paris, 1998 (1996).
Littré, Emile : Histoire de la langue française. Etudes sur les origines, l’étymologie, la grammaire, les dialectes, la versification, et les lettres au moyen âge, 2 volumes édités par Encyclopaedia Britannica inc., 425 N Michigan Ave. Chicago (Ill.
Walter, Henriette : Le français dans tous les sens, Robert Laffont, Paris, 2004 (1988)
Le petit Robert. Dictionnaire de la langue française, Editions Le Robert, Paris, 1998
Iordan, Iorgu (sub îndrumarea) : Crestomaţie Romanică, Editura Academiei R.P.R., Bucureşti, 1962.