A History Of The French Language

Incorporating a description of the Vulgar Latin spoken in Gaul, and the earliest recorded forms of French, the development of the French language through the later Middle Ages and Renaissance period is documented, to show the extent of standardization of form in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This well-established and popular book provides students with all the linguistic background they need for studying any period of French literature.

This new history of the French language allows the reader to see how the language has evolved for themselves. It combines texts and extracts with a readable and detailed commentary allowing the language to be viewed both synchronically and diachronically. Core texts range from the ninth century to the present day highlight central features of the language, whilst a range of shorter texts illustrate particular points. The inclusion of non-literary, as well as literary texts serves to illustrate some of the many varieties of French whether in legal, scientific, epistolatory, administrative or liturgical or in more popular domains, including attempts to represent spoken usage. This is essential reading for the undergraduate student of French.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the French language from the perspective of modern linguistics. Placing French within its social and historical context, the authors highlight the complex, diverse aspects of the language in a lively and accessible way. A variety of topics is covered, including the distribution of French in the world, the historical development of standard French, the sound system of French, its sentence patterns, and its stylistic and geographical variations. Fully updated and revised, this new edition places a greater emphasis on sociolinguistics. To make the book more user-friendly, the following new features have been added: * a further reading guide at the end of each chapter * a glossary of linguistic terms * an expanded bibliography and index.

First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.