French teaching in Ottoman Turkey found its actual speed with the Tanzimat period (the political reforms made in the ottoman state in 1839). Until the proclamation of the Republic, and even until the 1950s, French was considered the leading carrier of Western culture and civilization in Turkey, and teaching French was deemed necessary. However, it…

This article discusses a sociocultural usage-based perspective on the development of sociolinguistic competence. Previous research has focused on learners' acquisition and use of alternative ways of 'saying the same thing' (i.e. native-like variation) in relation to study abroad, contact with native speakers, and pedagogy. Missing from the…

The history of "Verlan," a form of French word play involving inversion of syllables with varying degrees of complexity, is described and its phonological and morphological patterns are outlined. Appropriate and inappropriate contexts for use of Verlan, extralinguistic functions, and the results of lexicalization of verlanized words are…

This paper attempts to define meta-rhetoric. Meta-rhetoric is a collection of micro-rhetoric taken together to suggest a larger image in the mind's eye of the reader. An analogy is suggested between a large graphic image comprised of numerous individual mini-images. It is asserted that, in an analogous manner, readers of a text organized around a…

A description of a course in French composition at the University of Essex, which is based on "Exercices de style, " by R. Queneau. The course consists of writing variations of a single model story or paragraph. Six variations are presented and discussed to clarify the method. (AMH)

Illustrates the use of narratology to help foreign language students see the interplay between form and content in their target language literature. (CB)

The concept of journalistic norms and recent French experience with this are reviewed. It is concluded that the press might be a reasonable arbiter between conservative institutional norms and recent rapid change in the French language. (MSE)

A framework for using the material contained in French high school business correspondence manuals to teach business correspondence in French as a second language is presented. The intent is to introduce the function of various letter formats and to facilitate deciphering the content of the letters. Exercises promote situational analysis of…

Considers how foreign language students can be trained to apply focalization to get beyond the mere content-oriented teaching of literature and work toward understanding what authors do in their texts and appreciate how they do it. (CB)

Hesitation serves many purposes, allowing us to choose and combine words better, make discourse more cohesive and regulate its flow, and think. Frequency and length varies with the cognitive activity, but is not always easy to interpret. Foreign language instruction can help students interpret hesitations and use them to advantage. (MSE)

Discusses the reasons for growing disenchantment with the language laboratory and introduces a novel approach to advanced listening comprehension exercises based on recordings of professional entertainers. Analyzes the sketches as examples of authentic discourse, as illustrations of different speech registers and regional variants, and as vehicles…

Use of French television commercials as a pedagogical tool has a great advantage over "two-dimensional" advertisements because they provide authentic and current spoken language which is often reinforced by repetitions and musical tunes as well as visual slogans on the screen. (CB)

Pursues the argument that grammar teaching in a second-year university degree French course should be in line with the functional/notional communicative aims of the "Lyon a la une" project. Discusses the study of the pragmatic dimension of language as an essential prerequisite to the functional skills fostered by the project. (SED)

Demonstrates the applicability of the speech act theory, which can help foreign language students appreciate the refinements of their target language's rhetorical devices through increased understanding of cultural and literary experiences. (CB)

A collection of essays on aspects of pragmatics in non-Western cultures includes these papers: "Social Rank and Tunebo Requests" (Paul Headland); "The Use of Reported Speech in Saramaccan Discourse" (Naomi Glock); "An Analysis of Illocutionary Verbs in Walmatjari" (Joyce Hudson); "Please Be Specific: A Functional…