Study Programmes 2015-2016
TRAD0067-1  
Comparative method in linguistics, Dutch-French
Duration :
30h Th
Number of credits :
Master in multilingual communication (120 ECTS)5
Master in multilingual communication (120 ECTS)5
Master in multilingual communication (120 ECTS)5
Master in multilingual communication (120 ECTS)5
Master in French and Romance languages and literatures : French as a second language (120 ECTS)4
Master in interpreting (120 ECTS)4
Master in French and Romance languages and literatures : general (120 ECTS)4
Master in French and Romance languages and literatures : general (120 ECTS)4
Master in translation (120 ECTS)4
Lecturer :
Laurent Rasier
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
This class examines the main theoretical and methodological issues as well as the main implications (e.g. for foreign language teaching, translation studies) of contrastive analysis. The languages under investigation are mainly Dutch and French, although attention may also be paid to other (Germanic and/or Romance) languages in order to include a broader typological dimension in the analysis.
The course will deal with the following subjects, among others:
  • Typology: phonology (sound system, prosody), morphology, syntax, incl. universals
  • Lexical contrasts: false friends, idioms, maken/doen (+ laten), position verbs, prepositions
  • Morphological contrasts: gender, article, singular/plural, diminutive, particles
  • Syntactic contrasts: worder order, verb phrase, sentence types, passive, connectives
  • Pragmatic aspects: politeness, speech acts (e.g. requesting), topic/focus, text structuring, registers
Learning outcomes of the course :
By the end of the course, the students will have insight into the main (syntactic, morphological, lexical) differences between Dutch and French on the one hand, and between Dutch and French and other, typologically (un)related languages on the other. This will improve the students' awareness and understanding of language typology. They will also develop a critical and comparative reflection on Dutch and French (and language in general) that will enable them to avoid interferences in the process of translation and to better understand non-native speakers' difficulties while learning Dutch and French as foreign languages (e.g. cases of L1-L2 transfer).
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Good knowledge of Dutch and excellent knowledge of Frenh.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Ex cathedra teaching, supplemented with exercices (translation, data analyses) and commented readings.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Face-to-face teaching, seminars
Recommended or required readings :
Compulsory readings: - Theissen, S., Rasier, L. & Hiligsmann, Ph. (2013), Dictionnaire contrastif français-néerlandais, Presses universitaires de Louvain: Louvain-la-Neuve.
- Theissen, S., Ph. Hiligsmann, L. Rasier & C Klein (2015), Nederlands-Frans in contrast. 2000 lexicologische valstrikken in het Frans en Nederlands, Acco: Leuven.
 - Syllabus (Powerpoint presentations) and reader with selected scientific articles
Optional readings: - Rasier, L. et alii (2011), Nederlands in het perspectif van uitspraakverwerving en contrastieve taalkunde, Gent: Academia Press.
- Söres, A. (2008), Typologie et analyse contrastive, Peter Lang.
Assessment methods and criteria :
Written and oral exam.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
Laurent RASIER Chargé de cours au Département de langues et littératures modernes E-mail: laurent.rasier@ulg.ac.be
Items online :
Online Notes
Notes are available on MyULg.