French Language Phonetics 3304-1DP1O-FJF-003
The course covers topics related to the phonetic and phonological description of modern French. The goal is to familiarize students with this subsystem of the language through the lens of basic procedures in descriptive linguistics—from both structural (functionalism, distributionism) and generative perspectives—as well as to provide a general overview of the latest trends.
List of topics:
1. Speech sounds from the perspective of phonetics and phonology. F. de Saussure’s *Course in General Linguistics* as the theoretical foundation of the Prague School of Structuralist phonology. Phonology according to A. Martinet and the distributionists. Phonology in Chomsky’s generative model.
2. Branches of phonetics. Branches of phonology: segmental and suprasegmental.
3. Articulatory phonetics: the structure of the speech organs and their functions. The vowel system: pronunciation and classification. The consonant system: pronunciation and classification. Semivowels, plosive-fricative consonants.
4. Acoustic phonetics: acoustic properties of speech sounds, descriptive parameters, identification of vowels and consonants from an acoustic perspective.
5. Auditory phonetics: perception of speech sounds.
6. Segmental phonology: the concepts of opposition, distinctive features, and neutralization; sound vs. phoneme; the vowel system, the consonant system. The concept of variance in the description of the phonological system (A. Martinet, H. Walter).
7. Description of phonemes in the form of a matrix of distinctive features.
8. Phonological processes: assimilation, dissimilation, metathesis, elision, epenthesis, etc.
9. Prosody: stress, intonation, duration.
10. Types and functions
Course coordinators
Type of course
Assessment criteria
Requirements for course completion: attendance at seminars, a short quiz before each session.
Final quiz for the lecture.
Written exam (Part I: theoretical, based on the lecture; Part II: phonetic transcription) during the winter exam session.
Bibliography
Carton F. (1974) Introduction a la phonétique du français, Paris, Bordas.
Carton F. (2000) La prononciation (dans): Antoine G., Cerquiglini B. (dir.), Histoire de la langue française 1945-2000, Paris, CNRS, 25-60.
Duchet J.-L. (1986) La phonologie, Paris, PUF, seria Que sais-je?, wyd. 2.
Dutka A., Pilecka E. (2008) Precis de la phonétique du français contemporain, Varsovie, Publications de l'Institut de Philologie Romane, Université de Varsovie.
Germain C., Leblanc R. (1981) Introduction a la linguistique générale, Montréal, Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, vol. 1 - La phonétique, vol. 2 - La phonologie.
Malmberg B. (1974) Manuel de phonétique générale. Introduction a l'analyse scientifique de l'expression du langage, Paris, Picard.
Malmberg B. (1987) La phonétique, Paris, P.U.F., Série Que sais-je?, 4e éd .
Martinet A. (1961) Eléments de linguistique générale, Paris, A. Colin.
Troubezkoy N. S. (1957) Principes de phonologie, Paris, Klinckieck.
Trubiecki N.S. (1970) Podstawy fonologii, tł. A. Heinz, Warszawa, PWN.
Walter H. (1982) Enquete phonologique et variétés régionales du français, Paris, P.U.F.
Walter H. (éd) (1983) Phonologie des usages du français, Langue française No 60.
Encyklopedie, słowniki:
Arrivé M., Gadet F., Galmiche M. (1986) La grammaire d'aujourd'hui. Guide alphabétique de linguistique française, Paris, Flammarion (zwłaszcza artykuł phonétique/phonologie).
Dubois J. (dir) (1994) Dictionnaire de linguistique et des sciences du langage, Paris, Larousse.
Enciclopaedia Universalis (1980), Paris, Enciclopaedia Universalis S.A., vol. 12, artykuły Phonétique, Phonologie.
Polański K. (red.) (1999) Encyklopedia językoznawstwa ogólnego, Wrocław, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, wyd. 2.
Rey-Debove J. & Rey A. (dir.), (1993 lub wydania późniejsze) Le Nouveau Petit Robert, , Paris, Dictionnaires le Robert.