FREN 115 Structures of spoken French

Spoken French refers to spontaneous everyday French speech; in France, everyday spoken French presents numerous differences from the normative written variety and has long been considered “faulty” and inferior to “standard” French. Linguists, however, see spoken French as a legitimate linguistic system in and of itself, and it is the subject of vibrant research activity. Gaining familiarity with the structures of spoken French is key for second-language speakers of French who wish to communicate and interact successfully and naturally. This course, taught in English, offers a survey of structures and features that distinguish everyday spoken French from normative/standard written French.