Modeling French Language Preservation: An Optimal Control Problem, Charlotte Blasi

Scripps Senior Theses

The French language is one of the most globally spoken languages, with over 300 million speakers and designated the official language of 29 nations. French continues to prosper as a result of its titular nations' imperialist history that emphasized linguistic diffusion as well as the support of international organizations dedicated to promoting both the language and the culture of French-speaking nations. In this thesis, we explore the nuanced history of French-speaking countries and one institution dedicated  to promoting the French language, the OIF. We further examine the media mechanism of the OIF and construct a system of Ordinary Differential Equations …

Phonetics And Orthography In French: A Proposal For A New Course, Kyara A. Crespo Gutierrez

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Linguistic Analysis Of The Language Surrounding Witchcraft In France From The 16th To 20th Centuries, Kaleigh Landers

Honors Theses

While the history of witchcraft in France is a subject that has received significant scholarly attention, little research has been conducted on the linguistic implications of the language used in regard to the subject. This study attempts to analyze the texts written about witchcraft between the 16^th and 20^th centuries in order to draw conclusions as to how language and culture affect each other. The aim of this study was to conduct a discourse analysis of these texts to identify cultural connotations, language trends, and insights regarding how the French language has evolved to communicate complex, dividing concepts …

Through The Gendered Language Glass: How Gendered Language Shapes Mental Representations Of Gender And Why It Matters, Emily Roberts

World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between gendered-languages and mental perceptions of gender. Compiling various studies that evidence a strong link between gendered language and gender bias, the research creates a framework for discussing the potential gender-equalizing effects of gender-fair language. The paper focuses on the conversation concerning gendered language in France, especially discussing the role of the French Academy in establishing and legitimizing language practices.

« Iel Dit Quoi ? » : A Study Of The Origins And Evolution Of Francophone Gender-Neutral Pronouns And Inclusive Language And A Discussion Of French Versus Canadian Acceptance, Alyssa Claire Langlois

Honors Theses

Our interpretation of human gender identity has never been constant. And with it, language has always shifted in order to best represent the many different gender identities and expressions that people associate with themselves. This research examines the current gender-inclusive and gender-neutral French language that exists in both France and Canada. I use three factors: occupational nouns, l’écriture inclusive, and neopronouns, especially iel, the most common. In this thesis, I evaluate what exists, what has yet to be accepted, and the many different public reactions. I analyzed statements from official language offices, current event articles, and opinions pieces, as well …

Entre Multilinguisme Et Multiculturalisme : Une Nouvelle Traduction D’Incendies De Wajdi Mouawad, Natalie Larson

Honors Theses

Incendies de Wajdi Mouawad, écrite en 2003, est la deuxième pièce de la tétralogie intitulée « Le sang des promesses ». Les quatre pièces racontent des histoires différentes mais ont des thèmes similaires. Incendies est l'histoire de jumeaux, Jeanne et Simon, qui découvrent après la mort de leur mère que leur père, qu'ils n'ont jamais connu, est vivant et qu'ils ont peut-être un frère. Ils se lancent alors dans une quête de sens et d'identité, entrecoupée de flashbacks sur le passé de leur mère dans un Liban déchiré par la guerre. Avec son langage poétique qui évoque une tragédie grecque, …

Homotextualité Réaliste: Cryptosexualité Et Subculture Homosexuelle Masculine Chez Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, Vincent Sallé

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cette thèse étudie les romans du canon réaliste français, en particulier Le Rouge et le noir et L’Éducation sentimentale, sous l’angle d’une textualité parallèle ancrée dans la langue érotique et les pratiques et les lieux de la subculture pédéraste. Principalement étudiée jusqu’ici dans des corpus identifiés comme érotiques ou dans des passages représentant l’homosexualité, cette homotextualité est ici inscrite dans la diégèse hétérosexuelle qu’elle permet de relire de manière située et historicisée.

La période de 1830 à 1870 est perçue par l’histoire et la littérature comme un hiatus sur le thème de l’homosexualité, pris entre son histoire moderne à …

Is France Having A Populist Moment?, Emma Gilmore

Honors Theses

The word populism is often thrown around in news media and academic scholarship, but there is a lack of understanding of what it actually means as a political theory. In France, the two presidential candidates that made it to the second round in 2017, Emmanuel Macron and Marine le Pen, were both called populist, despite having vastly different campaign strategies and messages. This study used a computer-based method to analyze Campaign books from 24 candidates beginning in 1981 that determined that Populist language is on the rise, but not as aggressively as news media suggests.

A Semiotic Approach To Visual Analysis Of Dress: Symbolic Communication Of Clothing Color, Cut, And Composition Through The French Film Costumes Of Anaïs Romand, Leigh Danielle Honeycutt

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines the communicative role of clothing in film. Using the skillful costume canvas of French designer Anaïs Romand, we explore the possible visual messages and potential cultural and linguistic meanings that clothing choice conveys. This analysis uses Roland Barthes’ Theory of the “Five Codes” from his book S/Z as well as psychological sources about color analysis as its methodological basis. Images from each of the five period piece films were chosen and analyzed using semiotics. The costumes in all five films chosen for analysis were designed under the direction of Anaïs Romand and were all either nominated for, …

Looking At Shadows: Four French Texts In English Translation, Kalena M. Hermes

World Languages and Cultures

This project present four French texts in English translation that share the theme of loss. This theme is perhaps one of the most poignant and relevant; loss is an experience that every human will encounter, and as people we continue across time to grapple with what it means for us and how to deal with it. These four texts will bring the perspectives of four authors to light in English. When we study how other countries and cultures deal with common human issues, we are able to gain new views on these issues. This project will make these texts accessible …

Why Study Language? Discussing Language And Its Influence On Gender Discrimination, Katelyn Eisenmann

Honors Projects

An applied research project, with the culminating piece being a panel discussion that focused on the ways in which language use and structure contribute to attitudes and perceptions of gender within our society, and the politics that surround concepts of gender.

Six Of One, Une Demi-Douzaine De L’Autre: Detecting Cross-Language Code-Switching In A Continuous Narrative, Melissa Kadish

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study examined how cross-language code-switching is processed and perceived. The following experiment compared how long English-French bilinguals, English monolinguals, and English-speaking French-language-learners took to detect instances of French/English code-switching in a semantically-rich narrative. Bilinguals displayed shorter change-detection response latencies than language learners and monolinguals, but the latter two groups did not significantly differ. These results provide insight into how the observed cognitive differences between bilinguals and monolinguals may develop, and offer support for the multi-language lexical processing theory of language interference. This study also addresses potential sociocultural origins of the observed language-level differences in code-switching perception by examining …

"Votre Tres Humble & Obeissante Soeur Et Seruante" L'Usage Des Conventions Orthographiques Nouvelles Dans Les Éloges Funèbres Monastiques Écrits Par Les Ursulines De France Et De Nouvelle-France Entre Le Xviie Et Le Xixe Siècle, Natacha Amandine Jeudy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

In France, the 17^th century was a crucial period for the development of written French. New spelling rules were implemented but older ones were still in favor. When secular and religious elites established themselves in colonial Nouvelle France, (i.e., Canada and the United States), they brought in this set of old and more modern conventions.

Rare are the studies consecrated on hand-written French in the 17th century. Although a few researchers have looked at the literature produced by some famous French sisters, no one has ever studied their orthography. The originality of this dissertation arises from its …

Prevalence Of The French Language In Algerian Online News : A Remnant Of The Colonial Past., Zofia A. Hetman

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

A French colony for over a century, Algeria gained independence in 1962, yet its identity remains chained to its traumatic history. During the colonial period, French officials enacted laws to subvert the native population and its culture by discouraging the teaching of Arabic and, in its place, emphasizing French language and culture. Seeking to reclaim their national identity, leaders in post-independent Algeria created Arabization policies, which favored the use of Arabic and discouraged the use of French. Algerian society has therefore long been the target of linguistic control. As a result, language preferences of Algerians can be linked to the …

La Star De Football, Nicholas Khoury

Honors Program Contracts

A short fable in French that incorporates vocabulary and lessons learned throughout the semester.

Good Game, Greyory Blake

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis and its corresponding art installation, Lessons from Ziggy, attempts to deconstruct the variables prevalent within several complex systems, analyze their transformations, and propose a methodology for reasserting the soap box within the display pedestal. In this text, there are several key and specific examples of the transformation of various signifiers (i.e. media-bred fear’s transformation into a political tactic of surveillance, contemporary freneticism’s transformation into complacency, and community’s transformation into nationalism as a state weapon). In this essay, all of these concepts are contextualized within the exponential growth of new technologies. That is to say, all of these semiotic …

Producing "Fabulous": Commodification And Ethnicity In Hair Braiding Salons, Sylviane Ngandu-Kalenga Greensword

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Black women wearing fabulous braids are a striking feature of the Afro-diasporic cultural landscape. However, the braiders and salon owners who enable this aesthetic engineering are seldom acknowledged. This dissertation investigates the experience and role of Caribbean and West and Central African women in the hair braiding industry, a rapidly growing business in the U.S. I address the complexity of these women’s multiple social roles and the multiple consciousness (King, 1988) associated with their demographic characteristics (color, ethnicity, gender, nationality, and immigrant status). The commonalities between the braiders and their mostly African American customers contrast vividly with their perception of …

Francolouisianais In The 21st Century: Redrawing Identity Lines In A Community Experiencing Language Shift, Marguerite L. Perkins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The francophonie of south Louisiana today is characterized by a great deal of diversity - in terms of ethnicity, language practices, cultural practices, geography, and experience. The academic literature does not always reflect this diversity, however. Some ethnic groups are overshadowed by others in academic study, and the lines between them are often uncritically blurred. Discussions of language shift are regularly mired in assumptions of individuals’ complete linguistic and cultural assimilation based solely on their native use of English.

In this dissertation, I seek to problematize traditional accounts of assimilation and collective ethnic identity by highlighting the ways in which …

Discrimination Towards Algerian-French Citizens In Post-Colonial French Cinema, Jessica Bou-Anak

Senior Honors Projects

Three French films, Elise ou la vraie vie by Michel Drach, La Haine by Matthiew Kassovitz, and The French Democracy by Alex Chan, were analyzed in order to view the discrimination by Caucasian-French citizens towards Algerian-French citizens. The films were released in the aftermath of a significant event in France dealing with racism. Two main themes were prevalent throughout this analysis: discrimination by Caucasian-French citizens towards Algerian-French citizens in public spaces, and Caucasian-French police brutality against Algerian-French youths. The findings from this analysis suggest that discrimination and racism in France still persist today, although in different forms.

Tuteo O Ustedeo: Un Estudio De Las Formas De Tratamiento En Las Publicidades De Escaparates / Tutoiement Ou Vouvoiement: Une Etude Des Formes D'Adresse Dans Les Publicités Des Vitrines, Charlotte M. Klein

Senior Independent Study Theses

In both French and Spanish, there exist two pronouns of the second person singular form of address: tu/vous and tú/usted, respectively. While the first of each pair is typically considered the ‘informal’ pronoun of address, the second is more ‘formal’, creating a complicated distinction that every person must resolve when speaking. This project analyzes the difficulty of choosing between the two forms of address through the lens of politeness theory, emphasizing the concepts of solidarity and power as well as other important factors that contribute to this complex decision. To show how the pronouns are …

Law 101 And Minority Languages In Quebec, Rebecca Dubord

Honors Theses

Quebec‟s historic Law 101, or the Charter of French Language, has been the subject of controversy in Quebec and the entirety of Canada since its inception in 1977. Whether this law has had its intended effect on the province of Quebec, or had any effect at all, is what the people of Canada should be truly debating. Has the Charter of French Language had its intended effect of asserting the French language as the primary language in Quebec, or has English continued to dominate throughout the province? While the Charter of French Language is applicable only in the province of …

A Case Study In How French Teachers Understand Purpose In Educating Immigrant Students, Dana Doggett

Senior Theses

The purpose of the study was to comprehend how two French teachers understood their roles in teaching immigrant students. To achieve this goal, I observed classes at a middle school in Pau, France over the course of three months. I recorded extensive field notes and conducted two in-depth interviews with both of the teachers I observed. After returning to the United States, I coded my notes, identifying and analyzing patterns in the data. Among other conclusions, I discovered that these teachers emphasized students’ individual identities, including their diverse national and cultural backgrounds, while at the same time pushing the students …

Le Rapport Entre La France Et Le Rwanda Au Passé, Au Présent, Et À L’Avenir, Claire Nadolski

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Le Rwanda est un pays d’Afrique centrale de l’est. Peuplé d’environ 10. 942.950 millions d’habitants parlant français, anglais, et Kinyarwanda. Bien que la France n’ait jamais colonisé le Rwanda, les deux pays ont un rapport très spécial. L’évènement historique auquel tout le monde pense est, sans aucun doute, le génocide au Rwanda et « l’Opération Turquoise » dans laquelle les Français ont aidé et protégé les Hutus qui tuaient des millions de Tutsis dans le but « soidisant » de la paix. Le génocide est un élément très important dans l’histoire du Rwanda, mais ce n’était pas la seule partie …

French In Madagascar: A Colonial Language After Independence, Christopher Roehrer-Macgregor

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The French first landed off the south-eastern coast of Madagascar in December of 1648. A little over two and a half centuries later they would land troops, marking the beginning of sixty years of colonization. The groundwork for government and education set during these years continues to the present day, including the use of the French language. In this study I look at the role of the French language in modern-day Madagascar. Using interviews from two major urban centers, I argue that French has a dualistic role, both as an opportunity for self-advancement for a select few, while also as …

Subtle Messages: An Examination Of Diversity In The Illustrations Of Secondary Level One French Textbooks, Stephen Richard Adamson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Textbooks in all content areas have been criticized for the hidden curriculum that subtly teaches messages, which elevate some cultural groups while diminishing the efforts and contributions of other cultural groups. Research into the hidden curriculum and inclusion of diversity in French textbooks has been limited. The present study focused on the inclusion of diversity in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, and body size present in the illustrations of the three newest French One textbooks. Results indicate that diversity has increased but the diversity within the illustrations does not always mirror the actual demographics of the United States …

French Language Legislation In The Digital Age: The Use Of Borrowed English Telecommunication Terms And Their Official French Replacements On Twitter And In The American Foreign Language Classroom, Gina Caruso

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

How effective is language legislation? In the age of digital communication and increased globalization, is it possible to create vocabulary and enforce its use? In an effort to continue to develop and modernize the French language to compete with the influx of English technology terms, the French government creates replacement terms for borrowed relevant technological English vocabulary. To determine the use and result of these French replacement terms in "real-time" communication, the micro-blogging social media website, Twitter, was used as a means of gathering linguistic data from Twitter users within 15 miles of Paris, France. Then, three leading introductory French …

Adolphe Nourrit, Gilbert Duprez, And The High C: The Influences Of Operatic Plots, Culture, Language, Theater Design, And Growth Of Orchestral Forces On The Development Of The Operatic Tenor Vocal Production, Micheal Lee Smith Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The operatic tenor voice has evolved from a variety of influences. This document identifies four influences involved in the development of the operatic tenor voice and describes their impact on performance practices including the chest voice high C (C5). Modern tenors’ performance practices originate in the nineteenth century ascendance of an Italian singing technique. This particular singing technique achieved popularity when Gilbert Duprez sang the role of Arnold in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell with a do di petto (i.e. from-the-chest) production of sound rather than the mix of falsetto and head voice that was traditional at the time. The role of …

The Use Of Past Tense In French By Arab Students : An Error Analysis., Rasha B. Y. Hamarsha

Student Works (2010-2019)

The objectives of this study are: (a) to analyse and categorise the errors made by Arab students of French when using four French past tenses: the imparfait, passé composé, plus-que-parfait, and passé simple; (b) to compare the French past tenses with Arabic past tenses; and (c) to suggest some pedagogical strategies. The subjects of this study are Arab undergraduates from the Bachelor of Arts programme, majoring in French language and literature at An-najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. The instrument used is a test consisting of four passages. The respondents have to use the correct past tense of the 108 …

In Black And White: The Effect Of Race On Listener Judgments Of Cajun And Creole French, Alison Landry

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Simplification And Personalization Of French Grammar, Regina Dee

MA TESOL Collection

The materials included in this project have been developed as a result of my emerging understanding of French grammar since I began studying it in 1976. I began teaching a French Activities class in 1986 to eighth graders at St. Andrews and third and fourth graders at an elementary school in Baltimore as a student at Morgan State University. While I was completing my student teaching at Baltimore City College Preparatory School, I found that my students had difficulties understanding textbook explanations. I therefore began to create my own explanations during sessions when students came for after school help. I …