French Linguistics Exam Prep

FR266

Vernacular

The everyday language variety naturally spoken by a community, often non-standard and associated with informal contexts.

Repertoire

The full range of linguistic resources and varieties available to a speaker.

Variationist sociolinguistics

The study of how language varies according to social factors such as class, age, gender, and ethnicity.

Interspeaker variation

Variation between different speakers, often linked to macro-social categories.

Intraspeaker variation

Variation within a single speaker depending on context, audience, or purpose.

Age grading

Patterns of language use that change over a speaker’s lifetime without representing permanent language change.

Apparent time

A sociolinguistic method comparing different age groups at one moment in time to infer language change.

First-wave sociolinguistics

Study of language variation through macro-social categories like class, age, gender, and ethnicity.

Second-wave sociolinguistics

Study of language variation through local social networks and communities of practice.

Third-wave sociolinguistics

Study of how speakers actively use linguistic variation to construct style and identity.

Social network

A set of interpersonal relationships influencing linguistic behaviour.

Community of practice

A group whose members develop shared linguistic practices through regular interaction.

Style / Register

A variety of language associated with a particular social situation or communicative context.

Mode

The medium of communication, such as speech or writing.

Field

The subject matter or activity type associated with communication.

Transactional function

Language used to exchange information or achieve a practical goal.

Interactional function

Language used to maintain social relationships.

Ethnolect

A variety of language associated with a particular ethnic group.

Covert prestige

Positive social value attached to non-standard linguistic forms within a community.

Standard language

A codified and prestigious variety used in education, government, and formal communication.

Prescriptivism

The attempt to regulate language use according to established norms or rules.

Verlan

A form of French slang involving syllable reversal.

Second wave vs Third wave

Second wave

Language reflects social group membership.

Third wave

Speakers actively manipulate variation to construct identity/style.

Transactional vs Interactional function

Transactional

Information transfer.

Interactional

Relationship maintenance.

Académie française

Institution responsible for regulating and standardising the French language.

Loi Deixonne (1951)

Law permitting limited teaching of regional languages in schools.

Loi Toubon (1994)

Law protecting the use of French in official government, commerce, advertising, and workplaces.

Loi Fioraso (2013)

Law allowing French universities to teach some courses in English.

Ordonnance de Villers-Cotterêts (1539)

Law making French the language of legal and administrative documents instead of Latin.

“Une langue, une nation”

The ideological principle linking one national language to one unified nation-state.

Loi Deixonne vs Loi Toubon

Loi Deixonne

Supports regional languages.

Loi Toubon

Protects the dominance of French.

Lexicology

The study of words, vocabulary, and lexical meaning.

Morphology

The study of the internal structure of words.

Lexeme

The abstract unit representing all forms of a word.

Lemma

The dictionary citation form representing a lexeme.

Word form

A specific grammatical realisation of a lexeme.

Morpheme

The smallest unit of meaning or grammatical function.

Morph

The phonetic or written realisation of a morpheme.

Allomorph

Alternative realisations of the same morpheme.

Free morpheme

A morpheme capable of standing alone as a word.

Bound morpheme

A morpheme that cannot occur independently.

Derivation

Addition of morphemes creating a new meaning or word class.

Inflection

Addition of morphemes expressing grammatical information.

Affixation

The addition of prefixes or suffixes to a word.

Compounding

Combining two independent words to create a new word.

Clipping

Shortening a longer word. Example: télé.

Blending

Combining parts of two words into one.

Borrowing

Adopting words from another language.

Conversion

Changing word class without changing form.

Coinage

Creation of entirely new lexical items.

Neologism

A newly created word or expression.

Suppletion

Use of completely different roots within one paradigm.

Example: aller → vais / allons.

Fusion

Several grammatical meanings expressed in one inseparable morpheme.

Cumulation

One morpheme simultaneously expressing multiple grammatical meanings.

Morpheme vs Morph

Morpheme

Abstract unit of meaning.

Morph

Actual spoken/written realisation.

Derivational vs Inflectional

Derivational

Creates new words or meanings.

Inflectional

Adds grammatical information only.

Lexeme vs Word form

Lexeme

Abstract vocabulary item.

Word form

Specific grammatical instance.

Semantics

The study of meaning in language.

Pragmatics

The study of meaning in context.

Referential meaning

The literal meaning referring to entities in the world.

Deixis

Words whose meaning depends on context. Examples: ici, maintenant, je.

Paradigmatic relations

Relations based on substitution/choice between linguistic items.

Syntagmatic relations

Relations based on linear combination/order in sentences.

Hyponym

A more specific term within a semantic category. Example: chien is a hyponym of animal.

Superordinate

A general category term containing hyponyms. Example: animal.

Denotation

Literal dictionary meaning.

Connotation

Associated emotional/social meaning.

Locutionary act

The literal utterance itself.

Illocutionary force

The speaker’s communicative intention.

Perlocutionary effect

The effect of an utterance on the listener.

Paradigmatic vs Syntagmatic relations

Paradigmatic

Choice/substitution relations.

Syntagmatic

Ordering/combinatory relations.

Denotation vs Connotation

Denotation

Literal meaning.

Connotation

Associated/implied meaning.

Complementary vs Contrastive distribution

Complementary

Different sounds occur in mutually exclusive environments without changing meaning.

Contrastive

Changing sound changes meaning.

Phonetics

Study of physical speech sounds.

Phonology

Study of sound systems and patterns.

Phone

An actual speech sound.

Phoneme

A contrastive sound unit capable of distinguishing meaning.

Allophone

Alternative pronunciations of the same phoneme.

Grapheme

Basic unit of writing.

Diacritic

Additional mark modifying pronunciation/value of a grapheme.

Alphabet

Writing system based on speech sounds.

Syllabary

Writing system based on syllables.

Logography

Writing system based on morphemes/words.

Gemination

Lengthening or doubling of consonant sounds.

Assimilation

A sound adopting features of a neighbouring sound.

Liaison

Pronunciation of normally silent final consonants before vowels.

Free variation

Unpredictable variation between pronunciations without meaning change.

Open syllable

Syllable ending in a vowel.

Closed syllable

Syllable ending in a consonant.

Stress

Relative prominence of a syllable.

[p]

Voiceless bilabial plosive.

[b]

Voiced bilabial plosive.

[t]

Voiceless dental plosive.

[k]

Voiceless velar plosive.

[f]

Voiceless labiodental fricative.

[v]

Voiced labiodental fricative.

[s]

Voiceless alveolar fricative.

[z]

Voiced alveolar fricative.

[ʃ]

Voiceless postalveolar fricative.

[ʁ]

Voiced uvular fricative.