Linguistic Commentary
French 4
In a linguistic commentary,
you write about the linguistic features used in a specific text.
- Lexicon
- Syntax
(word order, interrogation, negation, parataxis/hypotaxis,
etc.)
- Morphology
(e.g. use of tenses and moods, case marking, pronouns, articles, etc.)
- Spelling
- Phonology
Obviously, not all the points
mentioned above will be relevant for any specific text but you should try to
detect which ones are and try to structure your essay accordingly. For this
'exercise', you will have to set out the differences existing between Modern
written French and the stage of French found in the text under scrutiny. If
relevant, it will also be important to underline the links that a specific text
has maintained with Latin (e.g. word order in Old French texts).
Note that for the examination,
you will not be provided with a translation, nor with
the date and title of the text. However, since you should be familiar with the texts
set for each period, these pieces of information should not be too difficult to
retrieve. Ideally, your answer should begin with a short introduction
presenting the text (period, type, content) and highlighting features that will
be relevant to your analysis. The essay should obviously end with a short
general conclusion about the stage of French you are looking at and its place
within the evolution of the French language.
To prepare for commentaries,
you should revise your lecture notes, your essays and do the recommended
readings (see my website). Wendy Ayres-Bennett's book History of French
through texts is particularly useful since it is a collection of
commentaries.
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This site was last updated on 31
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