Vocabulary, Variation, And Culture In American University Textbooks Of .
Email: jennlynnwagner@gmail.com Twitter: @ielanguages Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/drjenniferwagner CV Site: jenniferlynnwagner.com Vocabulary, Variation, and Culture in American University Textbooks of French by Jennifer L. Wagner M.A. Linguistics B.A. French & Linguistics A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Research Centre for Languages and Cultures School of Communication, International Studies, and Languages Division of Education, Arts, and Social Sciences March 2015
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Contents Contents . iii List of Figures. vi List of Tables . vii Summary. xii Declaration . xiv Acknowledgements . xv Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Purpose and Significance of the Study . 2 The Foreign Language Textbook . 3 Variation in the Present Study . 5 Structure of the Thesis . 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 11 Vocabulary . 11 Variation . 18 Culture . 27 Audio-Visual Resources . 32 Conclusion . 37 Chapter 3: Methodology . 39 Textbook Selection . 40 Data Collection and Analysis . 43 Stage 1: Vocabulary. 43 Stage 2: Stylistic Variation . 45 Stage 3: Geographic Variation . 47 Stage 4: Francophone Cultural Content . 47 Stage 5: Audio-Visual Resources . 49 Issues with the Frequency Dictionary of French . 50 Chapter 4: Vocabulary . 55 Vocabulary Analysis . 55 Vocabulary Coverage . 56 Active and Passive Vocabulary . 56 Two Year Course . 59 High-frequency vocabulary coverage . 61 Top 5,000 Comparison: Quantitative Results . 61 Top 5,000 Comparison: Qualitative Results . 63 Over-represented . 64 Under-represented . 67 Top 2,000 Comparison: Quantitative Results . 77 Top 2,000 Comparison: Qualitative Results . 78 Top N Comparison: Quantitative Results . 82 Top N Comparison: Qualitative Results . 83 iii
Over-represented . 84 Under-represented. 88 Summary of Results . 92 Discussion . 93 Conclusion . 95 Chapter 5: Stylistic Variation . 97 Explanations of Stylistic Variation . 98 Grammatical Variants . 101 You: Tu / Vous . 101 We: On / Nous . 113 Interrogatives: Intonation / Est-ce que / Inversion . 117 Tag questions . 128 Negatives: Ne deletion / Ne retention . 130 It is: C’est / Il est . 133 Grammatical Variants Conclusion . 135 Lexical Variants . 138 Lexical Variants Conclusion . 145 Discussion . 146 Conclusion . 149 Chapter 6: Geographic Variation . 151 Explanations of Geographic Variation . 151 Lexical Variants . 156 Most Common Variants . 157 Textbooks with Francophone in the Title . 161 Discussion . 167 Conclusion . 170 Chapter 7: Francophone Cultural Content . 171 Culture and Francophone in the Textbooks . 172 Cultural Sections in the Textbooks . 178 Quantitative Results . 182 Number of Mentions: First year textbooks . 182 Number of Mentions: Second year textbooks . 190 Types of Mentions . 194 First year textbooks . 198 Second year textbooks . 204 First year vs. second year . 209 Qualitative Results . 213 Stereotyping . 213 Ethnocentrism . 217 Discussion . 225 Conclusion . 228 Chapter 8: Audio-Visual Resources . 231 Audio . 231 Videos . 243 Discussion . 251 Conclusion . 253 iv
Chapter 9: Conclusion . 255 Pedagogical Recommendations . 264 Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Future Research . 267 References . 271 Appendix: List of Textbooks Analysed . 287 v
List of Figures Figure 1: Map of the Francophone world in textbook 1I . 176 Figure 2: Map of the Francophone world in textbook 1D. 177 Figure 3: Table of contents of textbook 1D . 179 Figure 4: From the table of contents of textbook 1B . 181 Figure 5: Two examples of superficial mentions in textbook 1K . 195 Figure 6: Example of substantial mention of Belgium in textbook 1F . 196 Figure 7: Blog in textbook 1L . 197 Figure 8: Communicative phrases in textbook 2C . 234 Figure 9: Listening activity in textbook 1C . 235 Figure 10: Le français parlé section in textbook 1B . 237 Figure 11: Online exercise to accompany video in textbook 1A . 245 Figure 12: Video and subtitles in French used in textbook 1K . 247 Figure 13: Exercise to accompany video in Figure 12 . 248 vi
List of Tables Table 1: Stylistic continuum . 7 Table 2: Publisher and audio-visual resources for all eighteen textbooks . 41 Table 3: Vocabulary coverage of first and second year textbooks. . 58 Table 4: Vocabulary coverage over a two year course . 60 Table 5: Comparison of textbook vocabulary to top 5,000 words in frequency dictionary . 62 Table 6: Vocabulary coverage over a two year course of words in the textbooks that are among the top 5,000 words in the frequency dictionary. 63 Table 7: Top 20 most frequent adjectives and nouns found in dictionary but not in any of the 12 first year textbooks . 68 Table 8: Top 20 most frequent verbs and adverbs found in dictionary but not in any of the 12 first year textbooks . 69 Table 9: Most frequent prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions and interjections found in frequency dictionary but not in first year textbooks . 71 Table 10: Top 20 most frequent adjectives and nouns found in dictionary but not in any of the 6 second year textbooks . 73 Table 11: Top 20 most frequent verbs and adverbs found in dictionary but not in any of the 6 second year textbooks . 74 Table 12: Most frequent interjections, prepositions, conjunctions, and pronouns found in dictionary but not in second year textbooks . 76 Table 13: Comparison of textbook vocabulary to top 2,000 words in frequency dictionary . 77 Table 14: Vocabulary coverage over a two year course of words in the textbooks that are among the top 2,000 words in the frequency dictionary . 78 vii
Table 15: Words found in all first year textbooks that are not found in the frequency dictionary up to 2,000 (but are found in the dictionary up to 5,000) . 80 Table 16: Comparison of textbook vocabulary to top N words in frequency dictionary 82 Table 17: Vocabulary coverage over a two year course of words in the textbooks that are among the top N words . 83 Table 18: Percentage of vocabulary in each chapter of textbook 1H that is not in the frequency dictionary . 84 Table 19: Low-frequency words found in the chapter on clothing and accessories in textbook 1H . 86 Table 20: Low-frequency words found in the chapter on one’s residence in textbook 1H . 87 Table 21: Highest frequency words not found in active vocabulary of textbook 1H, but found in the frequency dictionary and passive vocabulary (glossary) of textbook 1H . 89 Table 22: Explanations of tu / vous, with formality marked for three forms . 103 Table 23: Explanations of tu / vous, with formality marked for singular forms only . 104 Table 24: Explanations of tu / vous, with formality marked for two singular forms and absence of plural form . 106 Table 25: Explanations of tu vs. vous in second year textbooks. 109 Table 26: Stylistic labels of on as subject pronoun "we" . 113 Table 27: Explanations of on used as definite "we" in textbooks . 115 Table 28: Possible Interrogative Structures . 117 Table 29: Presentation of All Interrogative Variants in All Textbooks . 118 Table 30: Stylistic Labels of Intonation . 121 Table 31: Stylistic Explanations of Intonation . 122 Table 32: Stylistic Explanations of est-ce que . 124 viii
Table 33: Stylistic Explanations of Inversion . 126 Table 34: Stylistic Explanations of tag questions . 129 Table 35: Explanations of ne deletion . 130 Table 36: Stylistic Labels of c'est (it is) . 133 Table 37: Stylistic Explanations of c'est (it is) . 134 Table 38: All lexical variants found in textbooks . 138 Table 39: Total variants within the chapters of first year textbooks excluding glossaries and special sections . 140 Table 40: Most frequent lexical variants found in textbooks; words in bold are those that are the most common in both first and second year textbooks . 142 Table 41: All active and total lexical variants found in textbooks . 145 Table 42: List of geographic variants in textbook 1E . 153 Table 43: All active and total geographic variants found in all textbooks . 156 Table 44: Most common geographic variants found in all textbooks. 158 Table 45: Geographic variants in textbooks 1C, 1I, 1K, and 1L . 163 Table 46: All geographic variants found in textbook 2C. 165 Table 47: Number of mentions for France and the DOM-TOMS in first year textbooks . 183 Table 48: Number of mentions for Europe in first year textbooks . 184 Table 49: Number of mentions for North America & Caribbean in first year textbooks . 185 Table 50: Number of mentions for Africa in first year textbooks . 187 Table 51: Number of mentions for Asia, Indian Ocean, and the Middle East in first year textbooks . 188 ix
Table 52: Numbers of mentions for France DOM-TOMs compared to the rest of the Francophone world in first year textbooks . 189 Table 53: Number of mentions for France DOM-TOMS in second year textbooks . 190 Table 54: Number of mentions for Europe excluding France in second year textbooks . 191 Table 55: Number of mentions for North America & the Caribbean in second year textbooks . 191 Table 56: Number of mentions for Africa in second year textbooks . 192 Table 57: Number of mentions for Asia, Indian Ocean, and the Middle East in second year textbooks . 193 Table 58: Numbers of mentions for France DOM-TOMs compared to the rest of the Francophone world in second year textbooks . 193 Table 59: Cultural mentions in first year textbooks for locations having more than 5 mentions . 200 Table 60: Cultural mentions in first year textbooks for locations with 5 or fewer mentions . 201 Table 61: Number of superficial substantial mentions and authentic excerpts in first year textbooks for all French-speaking locations . 202 Table 62: Number of superficial substantial mentions and authentic excerpts in first year textbooks, excluding France and the DOM-TOMs . 202 Table 63: Cultural mentions in second year textbooks for regions with 5 or more mentions . 205 Table 64: Cultural mentions in second year textbooks for regions with 4 or fewer mentions . 206 x
Table 65: Number of authentic excerpts in second year textbooks for all Frenchspeaking regions . 207 Table 66: Number of authentic excerpts in second year textbooks, excluding France and the DOM-TOMs . 208 Table 67: Most frequently mentioned locations, first and second year textbooks . 210 Table 68: Numbers of mentions for France DOM-TOMs compared to the rest of the Francophone world in first year and second year textbooks . 211 Table 69: “La France du bout du monde” excerpt (textbook 1B) . 215 Table 70: Length of textbooks’ (excluding 1K) free audio files and vocabulary lists . 232 Table 71: Active stylistic variants that are recorded in companion textbook audio (in bold) . 238 Table 72: Active geographic variants that are recorded in companion textbook audio (in bold) . 239 Table 73: Video runtime for 5 textbooks . 243 xi
Summary Many textbooks of French make the claim to teach the French language as it is actually used in the French-speaking world. The terms authentic, natural and real are often used in the introductions to describe the language presented in the textbooks. The term Francophone is also frequently found in the title and introductions to indicate a focus on French-speaking regions around the world rather than solely on France. The present study examined the comparison between these intended goals of French textbooks and the reality of what is actually offered, both in the texts and in the audio-visual resources. Focusing on the vocabulary items presented at the end of each chapter, stylistic and geographic variants included throughout the chapters, the chapter sections labelled as culture, and the audio files and videos that accompany the textbooks, this study analysed the type of language and culture found in textbook packages designed for American learners of French at the university level. Previous studies have not assessed the type of language provided in textbooks pertaining to the vocabulary items and any variants included in the chapters, nor have any previous studies quantitatively and qualitatively analysed the cultural content related to Francophone regions of the world. Twelve first year and six second year textbooks were examined, as well as the free audio files for seventeen of the textbooks and videos for five textbooks. The analysis of the vocabulary items first provided quantitative data on how many words were included in each textbook. Then the textbook vocabulary was compared to a frequency dictionary of French in order to determine how many high frequency vocabulary items were included in the textbooks. The next stage involved a page by page reading of each textbook searching for any variants marked with stylistic labels, such as informal, xii
colloquial, slang, as well as any variants marked with geographic labels referring to the various locations of the Francophone world. A second reading examined the sections within each chapter labelled as culture in the table of contents and analysed the mentions of Francophone locations. Finally, the audio-visual resources were considered for their inclusion of variation and culture and how they may have matched or differed from the content of the textbooks. The data reveal that the textbooks do not systematically offer high frequency vocabulary items as recommended by researchers, nor do they consistently address stylistic or geographic variation. This relative absence of variation in both the textbooks and audiovisual resources presents the French language as rather monolithic and homogeneous and largely confined to the standardised formal variety of France. The majority of the cultural mentions were also confined to France or France’s influence on the rest of the Francophone world, with the videos providing similar essentialized and stereotypical information from the point of view of a foreign observer rather than a member of the culture depicted. xiii
Declaration This thesis presents work carried out by myself and does not incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university; to the best of my knowledge it does not contain any materials previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; and all subst
Many textbooks of French make the claim to teach the French language as it is actually used in the French-speaking world. The terms . authentic, natural. and . . Twelve first year and six second year textbooks were examined, as well as the free audio files for seventeen of the textbooks and videos for five textbooks. The analysis of
Mendelssohn: Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 cm Andante sostenuto 0:53 cn Variation 1 0:40 Variation 2 – Un poco più animato 0:31 cp Variation 3 – Più animato 0:22 cq Variation 4 0:23 cr Variation 5 – Agitato 0:26 cs Variation 6 – a tempo 0:27 ct Variation 7 0:25 cu Variation 8
Vocabulary for Colloquial English Vocabulary for English: FCE Vocabulary for English: IELTS Vocabulary for English: PET Vocabulary for English: TOEFL Vocabulary for Hotels, Tourism, Catering Vocabulary for Law Vocabulary for Marketing Vocabulary for Medicine, 2nd edition -948549-96-3 1-901659-27-5 -948549-97-1 1-901659-11-9 1-901659-60-7 1 .
Variation – Direct Variation, Inverse Variation and Joint Variation Chapter 5.1 Sometimes the equation that relates two or more variables can be described in words by the idea of “variation”. There are three types. Dire
Variation applications are categorized into major variation, minor variation (prior approval) and minor variation (notification). . marketing authorization holder for pharmaceutical products for human use only and not including biologics. 3. DEFINITION 3.1 Major variation (MaV) . The Drug Regulator
Classical Variation 147 Richter Rauzer Variation 151 Dragon Variation 158 Scheveningen Variation 165 Najdorf Variation 176 French Defense: Minor Lines 185 Tarrasch Variation 191 3.Nc3 Lines 197 1.e4 e5 Sidelines 210
Direct Variation A direct variation is a special type of linear relationship. It can be written in the form y kx where k is a nonzero constant called the constant of variation. You can identify direct variations from equations or from ordered pairs. Tell whether 2x 4y 0 is a direct variation. If so, identify the constant of variation. variation.
Lesson 1 – Direct Variation Lesson 2 – Inverse Variation Lesson 3 – Joint Variation Lesson 4 – Combined Variation Objectives In these lessons, you will learn the following: Lesson 1 illustrate situations that involve direct variation translate into variation
CHAPTER 4 Vocabulary List 1—Prefixes 31 CHAPTER 5 Vocabulary List 2—Suffixes 45 CHAPTER 6 Vocabulary List 3—Learning Roots 59 CHAPTER 7 Vocabulary List 4—More Roots 73 CHAPTER 8 Vocabulary List 5—Foreign Language Terms Used in English 87 CHAPTER 9 Vocabulary List 6—Business Terms 101
