LINGUIST List 11.1810

Sat Aug 26 2000

Books: Sociolinguistics, European Languages

Editor for this issue: Naomi Ogasawara <naomilinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Kathryn King, Socioling: French - an accommodating language?, S. Wright (Ed.)
2. Kathryn King, European Langs: French Words, M. Offord

French - an accommodating language?
Le fran�ais: langue d'accueil?

Edited by Sue Wright (Aston University, Birmingham)

DESCRIPTION

The noted linguist Henriette Walter is a well known media figure in
France, who has used her extensive range of scholarly work to take a
stance in the current debate on the French language and to debunk the
idea that the language is under threat. She shows that French has always
been an accommodating language - une langue d'accueil - taking in words
from many different sources. This bilingual volume makes Mme Walter's
approach accessible to English speakers and provides reactions to it
from a number of scholars working in British universities.

CONTENTS
 
Pr�face Howard Evans (University of Leeds) 
1. Le Fran�ais, langue d'accueil: chronologie, typologie et dynamique/
 French - an Accommodating Language: 
 Chronology Henriette Walter (Universit� de Haute-Bretagne) 
2. La m�taphore de l'emprunt: Implications pour une th�orie de
 l'�volution des langues. R�ponse � Henriette Walter / 
 The Metaphor of Borrowing: Implications for a Theory of Language Evolution:
 A Response to Henriette Walter P�n�lope Gardner-Chloros
 (Birkbeck College, London University)
3. Le d�r�glement du syst�me de pens�e fran�ais: l'angoisse secr�te des
 puristes? R�ponse � Henriette Walter/ 
 Is it the Corruption of French Thought Processes that Purists Fear? 
 A Response to Henriette Walter Jean-Marc Dewaele (Birkbeck College, 
 University of London)
4. La dimension politique de l'emprunt et la r�action fran�ais. R�ponse
 � Henriette Walter / The Political Dimension of Borrowings and French 
 Reactions. A Response to Henriette Walter Dennis Ager (Aston University, 
 Birmingham)
5. Le fran�ais, langue d'accueil ou langue sur la d�fensive? R�ponse �
 Henriette Walter/ Is French Really Open to Outside Influences? 
 A Response to Henriette Walter Anne Judge (Surrey University)
6. Itin�raires �tymologiques. Quelques mots en suppl�ment /
 Etymological Routes. Some Supplementary Remarks Malcolm Offord 
 (Nottingham University)
7. La r�forme de l'orthographe en France et en Allemagne: attitudes et
 r�actions/Spelling Reform in France and Germany: Attitudes and Reactions 
 Rodney Ball (University of Southampton)
8. Le fran�ais de Belgique filerait-il � l'anglaise?/ Is Belgian French
 More Susceptible to English Influence? Emmanuelle Labeau (Aston
 University, Birmingham)

Book Review: The Vocabulary of Modern French. Origins, Structure and
 Function 

EDITOR INFORMATION

Sue Wright, is a lecturer in the School of Languages and European
Studies at Aston University. Her research interests are multilingualism
and language policy in Europe. The main contributor in this volume is
the noted French linguist, Henriette Walter, whose numerous publications
include Le fran�ais dans tous les sens, Le fran�ais d'ici, del� et de
l�-bas, Les aventures des mots fran�ais venus d'ailleurs and Les
aventures des langues en Occident.

September 2000 Format 248 x 168mm 134pp
Hbk ISBN 1-85359-504-7 �29.95/ US$49.95/ CAN$59.95
 (This book is also available as Vol.6:3&4 of the journal Current
 Issues in Society )



Kathryn King
Multilingual Matters Ltd
Frankfurt Lodge, Clevedon Hall
Victoria Road, Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 7HH, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1275-876519; Fax: +44 (0) 1275-871673
Email: kathrynmultilingual-matters.com
http://www.multilingual-matters.com

FRENCH WORDS
Past, Present and Future
Malcolm Offord (University of Nottingham)

"It is an admirable introduction to the study of French vocabulary,
providing undergraduates with an intelligent and comprehensive overview
of the topic, which is at the same time concise, clear and student-
friendly" Prof. R A Lodge, University of St Andrews

"The wealth of fascinating information in his volume is presented in a
very reader-friendly form. While adopting a systematic approach, it does
full justice to the inventiveness of modern French. It should be useful,
selective reading for all students of French, and essential reading for
those specialising in language and linguistics."
Professor Carol Sanders, University of Surrey

KEY FEATURES
q Uses easily-assimilated "textbite" as mode of presentation
q Uncovers the ways in which French words "work"
q Use of exercises and examples aids discussion of material

DESCRIPTION
Using an original mode of presentation, the 'textbite', this book seeks
to approach the French vocabulary from as many angles as possible -
showing how French words are constructed, the difficulties inherent in
defining a word, the relationships words enter into, their origins, and
recent trends in word formation. Examples and exercises are provided
throughout.

CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1. Words and their Constituent Parts; Chapter 2. Words; Chapter
3. French Words with a Long History; Chapter 4. French Words with a
Foreign Origin; Chapter 5. Words with a Short History - Neologisms
Conclusion; Appendix

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Malcolm Offord is Reader in French at the University of Nottingham and
has published a number of books and articles on the French language. His
major publications include Using French: a Guide to Contemporary Usage
(CUP) and Using French Synonyms (CUP), both co-authored with R.E.
Batchelor, Varieties of Contemporary French (Macmillan), French
Sociolinguistic Reader (Multilingual Matters).

Modern Languages in Practice 14 (MLP 14)
October 2000 Format 225 x 170mm 126pp
Hbk ISBN 1-85359-497-0 �39.95/ US$64.95/ CAN$79.95 
Pbk ISBN 1-85359-496-2 �14.95/ US$23.95/ CAN$29.95



 
Kathryn King
Multilingual Matters Ltd
Frankfurt Lodge, Clevedon Hall
Victoria Road, Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 7HH, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1275-876519; Fax: +44 (0) 1275-871673
Email: kathrynmultilingual-matters.com
http://www.multilingual-matters.com