Duration
20h Th, 25h Pr
Number of credits
| Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) (Faculty of Philosophy and Letters) | 3 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
How can you describe a language? Do we ever really master a language? Besides their considerable diversity, do languages have common properties? How do they work? How are they acquired? Can we lessen their apparent complexity? How do my words, what I'm saying, make sense? These are all questions this course aims to answer. It provides an introduction to the basic concepts and methods of general linguistics. There are two objectives: on the one hand, to initiate students in the fundamental questions concerning the nature and the function of language and languages and, on the other hand, to familiarise students with the analytical tools particular to the field.
The course is based on five modules:
I. What is language - Purposes and methods of linguistics
II. The universal properties of languages
III. Language as an object of study
1. - Phonetics and phonology
2. - Morphology
3. - lexicology and semantics
IV. Language and communication (communication theories)
V. Language, its use and society - sociolinguistics
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Students should be able to:
- thoroughly examine the nature of language and how languages work;
- use analytical tools particular to the field and apply them to new situations;
- analyse a speech and separate it into its various linguistic units;
- explain the system of sound production for French;
- analyse and describe the different mechanisms involved in sound production;
- understand the role of the linguistic context and the extralinguistic situation and explain their interaction.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Good knowledge of the French language (B2 level).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course alternates between lectures, learning through problem-solving, doing exercises and reading documents.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face course.
The following materials are available on eCampus: lecture slides (PDF); annotatable lecture slides (PDF); the practical sessions notes (PDF); online exercises.
Lectures: thirteen (13) sessions (01:30) are scheduled on Tuesdays (starting 15 September 2026).
Practical sessions: twelve (12) sessions (01:30) are scheduled on Mondays (starting 21 September 2026); they aim to help students familiarise themselves with the course content and the analytical tools specific to the discipline. Online texts and related questions will be provided (eCampus) each week; the objective is to explore the subject matter and concepts that will be summarised during the lectures. The session will conclude with the resolution of exercises based on the material studied in previous weeks (application to new situations). Online preparatory exercises (« textes pilotes ») are compulsory. Attendance at practical sessions is compulsory.
Student participation during both lectures and practical sessions is highly encouraged. Students are therefore required to dedicate a certain amount of independent study time outside these face-to-face classes.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
- Notes including theoretical explanations, slides, texts and exercises available on eCampus.
- COMPULSORY READING : compendium of texts ans documents avalaible on eCampus.
- Les linguistes atterrées, Le français va très bien, merci. Paris : Gallimard, Tract n°49, 2023.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Further information:
Any session :
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
- Remote
oral exam
- If evaluation in "hybrid"
preferred in-person
Additional information:
Written exam organised in January, June and September in the form of a MCQ and open questions relating to what the students have learnt (knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts and methods of linguistics) and know-how (knowing how to use the tools particular to the field in the proposed new situations)
This teaching unit ("Unité d'enseignement," or UE) is subject to the principle of the "note absorbante," which means that the student having obtained a mark below 8/20 for one of the learning activities ("activités d'apprentissage," or AA) will receive a failing grade for the entire unit and will have to retake the failed AA in the second session regardless of the mathematical average of the two AA grades.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Christophe Delval : christophe.delval@uliege.be