Text Box: Dr Sophie Marnette, Balliol College
Sophie.marnette@balliol.ox.ac.uk

 

Paper IV: Linguistic Studies I

The History of The French Language up to the Mid-Twentieth Century

 

1. Course Content

This paper offers you the opportunity to study the development of the French language from Vulgar Latin to Modern French.

2. Teaching

Given the scope of the paper, coverage cannot be achieved in the eight tutorials normally allotted to its preparation. Regular attendance at lectures from the introductory course onwards is, therefore, strongly advised.

3. Examination

The paper is divided into two sections to enable you to combine study in breadth with the more detailed exploration of a particular period or periods.

Section A includes a range of questions on the history of the language from earliest times to the present day, or relating to historical linguistics as applied to French. Questions may cover phonological, orthographical, morphological, syntactic, lexical, semantic, stylistic and sociolinguistic topics, as well as ideas about the French language in an historical perspective.

Section B is divided into a number of parts starting with the transition from Latin to French and the early history of the language and moving on to periods which correspond, roughly speaking, to the literary periods offered in Paper VI (1100-1530), VII (1530-1715), VIII (1715-1940). This makes it possible for you, if you so choose, to make fruitful links between your study of language and literature.

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