History of the French language [LROMB118]

Learning outcomes

This course is designed to enable students to understand the history of the French language and to understand how it was developed and how it has evolved over time.

Content

The course traces the "external" history of the French language from its emergence on the Gallo-Roman territory to its current diversification within the Francophonie. This chronological journey is structured around two main issues, which, to use the titles of two well-known books, could be defined as follows: "French, history of a dialect that became a language"; and "French, history of a struggle". Along the way, emphasis is also placed on certain basic concepts of linguistics and sociolinguistics, as well as on the genesis and evolution of the linguistic tools (grammars, dictionaries, etc.) that have enabled the codification of French.