Subject Area: French Studies

In this course students will learn current theories for the description of spoken French and the multimodality of face-to-face interaction. Through the analysis of video documents and films, students will learn how French speakers use not only words and a set of grammar rules to communicate but also their bodies to produce sounds, facial expressions and hand gestures. Students will apply the theory in various class exercises for the improvement of pronunciation and oral fluency, and the development of conversation and presentation skills. In addition they will extend their reading, writing and overall thinking skills through the study of relevant texts in linguistics and associated disciplines. Topics include, but are not limited to, French sounds and intonation, varieties and registers, conversational gestures, regional French, the language of the youth, the language of French political leaders.