Department of French

Paper Fr 13

The French Language: Variation and Change

Students with little knowledge of French linguistics may find the following introductory books helpful:

A. Battye, M-A. Hintze and P. Rowlett, The French Language Today (Routledge, 2000)
R. Logde, N. Armstrong, Y. Ellis, J. Shelton, Exploring the French Language (Arnold, 1997)
G. Price, An Introduction to French Pronunciation (Blackwell, 2005)
H. Walter, Le français dans tous les sens (Laffont, 1988)

General Works on Language Variation and Change

J.K. Chambers, P. Trudgill and N. Schilling-Estes, The Handbook of Language Variation and Change (Blackwell, 2004)
M.C. Jones and I. Singh, Exploring Language Change (Routledge, 2005)
W. Labov, Sociolinguistic Patterns (Blackwell, 1985)
A.M.S. McMahon, Understanding Language Change (Cambridge University Press, 1994)
L. Milroy and M. Gordon, Sociolinguistics: Method and Interpretation (Blackwell, 2003)

F. Gadet, 'Variabilité, variation, variété: le français d'Europe', Journal of French Language Studies 6 (1996), pp. 75-98
R.A. Lodge, A Sociolinguistic History of Parisian French (Cambridge University Press, 2004)

Language Contact (Borrowing, Code Switching, Convergence)

P. Gardner-Chloros, 'Codeswitching in relation to language contact and convergence', in G. Lüdi (ed.), Devenir bilingue - parler bilingue (Max Niemeyer, 1987), pp. 99-113

P. Gardner-Chloros, Language Selection and Switching in Strasbourg (Clarendon Press, 1991)

J.J. Gumperz, Discourse Strategies (Cambridge University Press, 1982)

P. Guiraud, Les Mots étrangers (PUF, 1963)

M. Heller, 'Communicative resources and local configurations. An explanation of language contact processes', Multilingua 8 (1989), pp. 357-395

M.C. Jones and I. Singh, Exploring Language Change (Routledge, 2005), Chapter 2

M.C. Jones and E. Esch (eds.), Language Change: The Interplay of Internal, External and Extra-Linguistic Factors Contributions to the Sociology of Language, 86 (Mouton de Gruyter, 2002)

M.C. Jones, 'Mette a haout dauve La grippe des Angllaïs: English/French Convergence on Guernsey', in M.C. Jones and E. Esch (eds.), Language Change: The Interplay of Internal, External and Extra-Linguistic Factors (Mouton de Gruyter, 2002), pp. 143-168

M.C. Jones, 'Some Structural and Social Correlates of Single Word Intrasentential Codeswitching in Jersey Norman French', Journal of French Language Studies 15/1 (2005), pp. 1-23

R. King, 'On the social meaning of the linguistic variability in language death situations: variation in Newfoundland French', in Nancy C. Dorian (ed.), Investigating Obsolescence, 139-148 (Cambridge University Press, 1989)

R. King, The Lexical Basis of Grammatical Borrowing: A Prince Edward Island French Case Study (Benjamins, 2000)

R. King and Y. Roberge, 'Preposition Stranding in Prince Edward Island French', Probus 2 (1990), pp. 351-369

R. King and T. Nadasdi, 'Back to the Future in Acadian French', Journal of French Language Studies 13/3 (3003), pp. 323-337

H. Mitterand, Les Mots français (PUF, 1981)

C. Myers-Scotton, Social Motivations for Codeswitching (Clarendon Press, 1993)

C. Myers-Scotton, Duelling Languages (Clarendon Press, 1993)

C. Myers-Scotton, Contact Linguistics: Bilingual Encounters and Grammatical Outcomes (Oxford University Press, 2002)

S. Poplack, '"Sometimes I'll start a sentence in Spanish y termino en español": toward a typology of code-switching', Linguistics 18(1980), pp. 581-618

S. Poplack, 'Contrasting patterns of codeswitching in two communities', in M. Heller (ed.), Codeswitching (Mouton de Gruyter, 1988) pp. 215-244

S. Poplack and M. Meechan, 'How languages fit together in codemixing', International Journal of Bilingualism 2/2 (1998), pp. 127-138

H. Ramisch, The Variation of English in Guernsey, Channel Islands (Peter Lang, 1989)

S.G. Thomason, Language Contact (Georgetown University Press, 2001)

S.G. Thomason and T. Kaufman, Language Contact, Creolization and Genetic Linguistics (University of California Press, 1988)

J. Treffers-Daller, Mixing Two Languages, French-Dutch Contact in a Comparative Perspective (Mouton de Gruyter, 1994)

U. Weinreich, Languages in Contact: Findings and Problems (Mouton, 1963)

H. Wise, The Vocabulary of Modern French (Routledge, 1997)

Typology

J. Greenberg, 'Some Universals of grammar with particular reference to the order of meaningful elements', in J. Greenberg (ed.), Universals of Language (MIT, 1963)
M.B. Harris, The Evolution of French Syntax (Longman, 1978)

Language Planning

R. Adamson, The Defence of French: A Language in Crisis? (Multilingual Matters, 2007)

P. Birt, Lé Jèrrais pour tous. A Complete Course on the Jersey Language (Don Balleine, 1985)

R. Bugarski, 'Language Situation and General Policy', in R. Bugarski and C. Hawkesworth (eds.), Language Planning in Yugoslavia (Slavica, 1992), pp. 10-26

R.L. Cooper, Language Planning and Social Change (Cambridge University Press, 1989)

Diwan http://icdbl.org/saozg/Diwan_Intro.php, http://www.diwanbreizh.org/
N.C. Dorian, 'The value of language-maintenance efforts which are unlikely to succeed', International Journal of the Sociology of Language 68 (1987), pp. 57-61
M.C. Jones, 'Swimming Against the Tide: Language Planning on Jersey', Language Problems and Language Planning 24/2 (2000), pp. 167-196
M.C. Jones and I. Singh, Exploring Language Change (Routledge, 2005), Chapter 5
A. Judge, Linguistic Policies and the Survival of Regional Languages in France and Britain (Palgrave, 2007)
H. Kloss, Research Possibilities on Group Bilingualism: A Report (Quebec: International Center for Research on Bilingualism, 1969)

Regional French and Norman Dialectology

N. Armstrong and T. Pooley (eds.), Social and Linguistic Change in European French (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010)
P. Brasseur, Atlas linguistique et ethnographie normand (Editions du CNRS, 1980, 1984, 1997)
T. Bulot and M.C. Jones, 'Une ou des langues normandes? Politique linguistique et territorialisation', in M.C. Jones and T. Bulot (eds.), Sociolinguistique de la langue normande: pluralité, normes, représentations (L'Harmattan, 2009), pp. 7-18
F. Carton, 'Les Parleurs ruraux de la région Nord-Picardie. Situation sociolinguistique', International Journal of the Sociology of Language 29 (1981), pp. 15-28
F. Carton, M. Rossi, D. Autesserre and P. Léon, Les Accents du français (book and cassette, Hachette, 1983)
J. Chaurand, 'Les Français régionaux', in G. Antoine and R. Martin (eds.), Histoire de la langue française (1880-1914) (Editions du CNRS, 1985), pp. 339-368
J. Chaurand, 'Les Variétés Régionales du français', in G. Antoine and B. Cerquiglini (eds.), Histoire de la langue française (1945-2000) (Editions du CNRS, 1995), pp. 643-64
P. Falle, An Account of the Island of Jersey, 2nd edition (John Newton, 1734)
J. Gillieron and E. Edmont, Atlas Linguistique de la France (Champion, 1902-1910)
P. Guiraud, Patois et dialectes français (PUF, 1965; rééd. 1973)
R. Hawkins, 'Regional Variation in France', in C. Sanders (ed.), French Today (Cambridge University Press, 1993)
D. Hornsby, Redefining Regional French (Legenda, 2006)
R. Ingham, 'Bilingualism and syntactic change in medieval England', Reading University Working Papers in Linguistics 8 (2005), 1-25
R. Ingham, 'Syntactic change in Anglo-Norman and Continental French Chronicles: was there a "Middle" Anglo-Norman?', Journal of French Language Studies 16/1 (2006), pp. 25-49
R. Ingham, 'L'anglo-normand et la variation syntaxique en français médiéval', in M. Iliescu, H. Siller-Runggaldier & P. Danler (eds.), Proceedings of Colloque International de Linguistique et de Philologie Romane, University of Innsbruck 2007 (photocopy held in MML Library)
R. Ingham, 'Aussi en anglo-normand', in M. Abecassis (ed.), Proceedings of 2008 Association of French Language Studies Conference, 2008 (photocopy held in MML Library)
R. Ingham, 'Later Anglo-Norman as a contact variety of French?', in R. Ingham (ed.), The Anglo-Norman language and its contexts, Boydell (photocopy held in MML Library)
R. Ingham, 'The transmission of later Anglo-Norman: some syntactic evidence', in R. Ingham (ed.), The Anglo-Norman language and its contexts (photocopy held in MML Library)
H. Inglis, The Channel Islands, 4th edition (Whittaker, 1844)
M.C. Jones, 'Ambiguity and Unpredictability: Linguistic Change in Modern Jèrriais', Verbum 22/2 (2000), pp. 203-222
M.C. Jones, Jersey Norman French: A Linguistic Study of an Obsolescent Dialect (Blackwell, 2001)
M.C. Jones, 'Transfer and Changing Linguistic Norms in Jersey Norman French', Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 8/2 (2005), pp.159-175
M.C. Jones, The Guernsey Norman French Translations of Thomas Martin: A Linguistic Study of an Unpublished Archive (Peeters, 2008)
M.C. Jones, 'Etat Présent: Diatopic Variation and the Study of Regional French', French Studies 65/4 (2011), pp. 505-514
M.C. Jones and T. Bulot (eds.), Sociolinguistique de la langue normande: pluralité, normes, représentations (L'Harmattan, 2009)
F. Le Maistre, Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français (Don Balleine, 1966)
R. Lepelley, La Normandie dialectale, Petite encyclopédie des langages et mots régionaux de la province de Normandie et des Iles anglo-normandes (Office Universitaire d'Etudes Normandes, Université de Caen, 1989)
A. Lerond (ed.), 'Les Parlers régionaux', Langue Française 18 (1973), pp. 3-9
R. A. Lodge, French: From Dialect to Standard (Routledge, 1993)
J-B Martin, 'Le français régional', Le Français Moderne 65-66 (1997), pp. 55-69
T. Pooley, 'Sociolinguistics, Regional Varieties of French and Regional Languages of France', Journal of French Language Studies 10/1 (1999), pp. 117-157
G. Price, 'French in the Channel Islands', in G. Price, The Languages of Britain (Arnold, 1984), pp. 207-216
G. Price, 'Anglo-Norman', in G. Price, The Languages of Britain (Arnold, 1984), pp. 217-231
G. Taverdet and G. Straka, Les Français régionaux (Klincksieck, 1977)
P. Trudgill, Dialects in Contact (Blackwell, 1986)
H. Walter, Enquête phonologique et variétés régionales du français (PUF, 1982)
H. Walter, 'Patois ou français régional?', Le Fran&ccedi;ais Moderne 52 (1984), pp. 183-190
L. Warnant, 'Dialectes du français et français régionaux', Langue Française 18 (1973), pp. 100-126 (photocopy held in MML Library)
Census of Jersey (2001) http://www.gov.je/statistics/census.asp
The main Jèrriais website may be found at http://www.societe-jersiaise.org/geraint/jerriais.html

Language Death and Revitalisation

N.C. Dorian, Language Death: The Life-Cycle of a Scottish Gaelic Dialect (Pennsylvania University Press, 1981)
N.C. Dorian (ed.), Investigating Obsolescence (Cambridge University Press, 1989)
N.C. Dorian, 'Purism vs. compromise in language revitalization and language revival', Language in Society, 23 (1994), pp. 479-494
N.C. Dorian, 'Western language ideologies and small-language prospects', in L.A. Grenoble and L.J. Whaley (eds.), Endagered Languages: Current Issues and Future Prospects (Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 3-21
C.A. Ferguson, 'Diglossia', Word 15 (1959), pp. 325-40
J.A. Fishman, 'Language maintenance and language shift as a field of inquiry: revisited', in A.S. Dil (ed.), Language in Sociocultural Change: Essays by Joshua A. Fishman (Stanford University Press, 1972), pp. 76-134
J.A. Fishman, Reversing Language Shift (Multilingual Matters, 1991)
J.A. Fishman (ed.), Can Threatened Languages Be Saved? (Multilingual Matters, 2001)
L.A. Grenoble and L.J. Whaley (eds.), Endangered Languages: Current Issues and Future Prospects (Cambridge University Press, 1998)
M.C. Jones, Language Obsolescence and Revitalisation (Oxford University Press, 1998)
M.C. Jones, Jersey Norman French: A Linguistic Study of an Obsolescent Dialect (Blackwell, 2001)
M.C. Jones and I. Singh, Exploring Language Change (Routledge, 2005), Chapters 4 and 5
L. Kuter, 'Breton vs. French: language and the opposition of political, economic, social and cultural values', in N.C. Dorian (ed.), Investigating Obsolescence (Cambridge University Press, 1989), pp. 75-90
M. McDonald, We Are Not French! (Routledge, 1989)
R. Mougeon and E. Beniak, Linguistic Consequences of Language Contact and Restriction. The Case of French in Ontario, Canada (Clarendon Press, 1991)
C. Moseley (ed.), (2010) Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (UNESCO). Online version available at http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/index.php
N.N., 'Les Iles de la Manche, Jersey et Guernsey en 1848 et 1849', Revue des Deux Mondes 4 (1849), pp. 937-67
C.F. Voegelin and F.M. Voegelin, 'Is Tübatulabal De-Acquisition Relevant to Theories of Language Acquisition?', International Journal of American Linguistics, 43/4 (1977), pp. 333-8

Language and Identity

B. Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism 1st edition (Verso, 1993) Reprinted 1991
W. Ayres-Bennett and M.C. Jones (eds.), The French Language and Questions of Identity (Legenda, 2007)
T. Bulot, La Langue vivante. L'identité sociolinguistique des Cauchois (L'Harmattan, 2006)
J. Edwards, Language, Society and Identity (Blackwell, 1989)
J. Edwards, Language and Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2009)
R.D. Grillo, Dominant Languages: Language and Hierarchy in Britain and France (Cambridge University Press, 1989)
A.M. Houdebine, 'Imaginaire linguistique et dynamique langagière: aspects théoriques et méthodologiques', La Bretagne Linguistique 10 (1995), pp. 239-255 (photocopy held in MML Library)
M.C. Jones, 'Death of a language, birth of an identity: Brittany and the Bretons', Language Problems and Language Planning 22(2) (1998), pp. 129-142
M.C. Jones, 'Identity Planning in an Obsolescent Variety: The Case of Jersey Norman French', Anthropological Linguistics 50/3-4 (2009), pp. 1-17
J.E. Joseph, Language and Identity (Palgrave, 2004)
N. Nywembe, 'Le français du Zaïre ou le français zaïrois?', in M. Francard and D. Latin (eds.), Le Régionalisme lexicale (Duculot, 1995)
E. Renan (1882), 'Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?' Lecture given at the Sorbonne, 11 March 1882 (Paris: Calmann Lévy). Cited in Joseph (2004: 112)

Polynomia

R.J. Blackwood, The State, The Activists and the Islanders - language policy on Corsica (Springer, 2008)
R.J. Blackwood, 'Compulsory Corsican classes in schools as a method for reversing the language shift to French', Transactions of the Philological Society 102(3) (2004), pp.307-333
J-M. Comiti, 'La Langue corse: une normalisation originale', http://www.interromania.com/studii/sunta/comiti/normalisation.htm
A. Jaffe, Ideologies in Action: Language Politics on Corsica (De Gruyter, 1999)
A. Jaffe, 'La polynomie dans une école bilingue corse: bilan et défis', Marges Linguistiques 10 (2005)
A. Jaffe, 'Language Ecologies and the meaning of Diversity: Corsican Bilingual Education and the concepts of "polynomial"', Encyclopedia and Language and Education

(2008), pp. 225-235 (.pdf file downloadable from http://www.springerlink.com/content/v8173243m0611576/
J.B. Marcellesi, 'Un cas originial: l'emergence de la langue corse', in Francophonie et polynomie: textes rassemblés par Claudine Bavoux et François Gaudin (CNRS, 2001), pp. 13-24

J. Sallabank, 'Standardisation, prescription and polynomial: can Guernsey follow the Corsican model?', Current Issues in Language Planning 11(4) (2010), pp. 211-330

General Histories of the French Language

F. Brunot, Histoire de la langue française (Paris, A. Colin, 13 volumes, 1905-13)

E. Einhorn, Old French, A Concise Handbook (Cambridge University Press, 1974)

A. Ewert, The French Language (Faber, reprinted 1966, rather old now but still useful)
R.A. Lodge, French: From Dialect to Standard (Routledge, 1993)

R.A. Lodge, A Sociolinguistic History of Parisian French (Cambridge University Press, 2004)

J. Picoche and C. Marchello-Nizia, Histoire de la langue française (Nathan, 1989)

M.K. Pope, From Latin to Modern French (Manchester University Press, reprinted 2nd ed, 1966)

R. Posner, Language Change in French (Oxford University Press, 1997)

G. Price, The French Language: present and past (Arnold, 1971)

P. Rickard, A History of the French language (Unwin Hyman, 1989)

W. von Wartburg, Evolution et structure de la langue française (Francke, 6th ed. 1962)

Last updated: January 2013