Date of Award
6-2015
Document Type
Union College Only
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Modern Languages and Literatures
First Advisor
Charles Batson
Language
French
Keywords
languages, french, regional, history, accents
Abstract
Sociolinguists tell us that variation in the mode of speaking affect social interactions and perceptions. The French language contains a significant degree of linguistic variation, as a result of the influences from French regional languages and other European languages. At the time of the Renaissance, over thirty regional languages were spoken in France. The current variant that has developed into “modern French” was originally one of many regional languages, and was spoken or understood by only about one percent of the population. Major geopolitical events that shaped the history of France occurred concurrently with the transition from regional languages to a unified national language. This has given the French of today a degree of variability that reflects its rich history. This research examines in particular the way in which history has shaped the accents of Provence and Paris, and how these accents have affected the development of these regions and their relationship today.
Recommended Citation
Sexton, Jennifer, "Le pouvoir de l’accent: L’Origine historique et les effets sociaux des accents français" (2015). Honors Theses. 388.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/388