Didactics of the Pronunciation of French as a Foreign Language

Language

French

Prerequisites

The basics of foreign language teaching and “FLE didactics” (LFLE2005 Didactique du français langue étrangère) are assumed to be known or learned simultaneously. 

Main themes

• phonological and prosodic systems of contemporary spoken french ;
• difficulties experienced by non-French speakers in acquiring French pronunciation: diagnosis and remediation;
• design of remedial exercises and activities.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Understand the phonetic and phonological difficulties experienced by non-Ffrancophones in acquiring the phonetic system of present-day Standard French;
2	Suggest solutions for these difficulties.

Content

The course focuses on phonetics for pedagogic purposes. It is intended for future teachers of French as a foreign language. Its goal is to analyze the difficulties faced by non-French speakers in acquiring the pronunciation of contemporary standard French.
The course will address the following points :

•  the mechanisms of perception and production of human speech
•  rhythm, intonation, vowel and consonant sounds of contemporary spoken French
•  pronunciation mediation: diagnosing and remedying learners' difficulties
•  the contribution of the verbo-tonal method and the articulatory approach
•  the importance of the body in the remediation of pronunciation
•  the design of a course sequence dedicated to pronunciation

Teaching methods

Each class session will include lectures and time to learn the concepts through practical exercises and simulation activities. One of the course session will consist of a one-day practical workshop.

Evaluation methods

Students are assessed in two ways:
Continuous assessment (20%)

• Completion of several formative tasks during the term (details communicated during the first course).

Continuous assessment tasks may not be submitted (for the first time) after the deadline set by the teacher, except in the case of a medical certificate. No continuous assessment tasks may be submitted during the August session
Certifying assessment (80%)

• Theory test at the end of the quadrimester (20%)
• Written work done in duo, to be submitted on UCLine by the first day of the session (60%)

Not taking the theory test and/or failure to submit the final written assignment will result in an absence grade for the entire course.
In the event of failure of one of the two parts of the certificative assessment, the student who represents the final exam in August presents only the failed part.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) must be used responsibly and in accordance with the practices of academic and scientific integrity.
NB: For students of the Certificat en didactique du FLE enrolled in the course, the continuous evaluation counts for 10% and the certificative evaluation counts for 90%.

Other information

An introduction to FLE didactics is essential for this course.

Online resources

https://ucline.uclouvain.be/course/index.php?categoryid=10

Bibliography

La liste bibliographique est disponible sur la plateforme UCLine du cours.
A bibliographical list is available on the course website.

Teaching materials

• Les supports de cours se trouvent à la page https://ucline.uclouvain.be/course/view.php?id=29
• The course materials can be found at https://ucline.uclouvain.be/course/view.php?id=29

Faculty or entity

> ELAL