French 102

Vanderbilt University

Copyright Virginia M. Scott 2013

All Rights Reserved
 This semester you will see 3 presentations designed
to make you think about second language learning.

 Each presentation will begin with guiding questions

to engage you in the material; the presentations end
with discussion topics.

 After each presentation you will write a 2-page

reflection on the topic synthesizing your thoughts
and reactions.

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 What does “identity” mean?

 In what ways might your

identity change by studying
French ?

 What is the relationship

between language and
identity for French
speakers in the world
today?

(Picasso,
1925)

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 This term is not easily defined;
very generally, it refers to
a person’s mental image of
him or herself.

Some psychologists distinguish

between personal identity
(what makes each person
unique) and social identity
(the ways people identify
with particular social
groups).

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What shapes a person’s identity?
 Cognition – how you think about things
 Emotions – how you feel about things
 Experience – your life story
 Choice – what you decide

 Most psychologists and sociologists think of identity as

dynamic and fluid rather than static or fixed.

 Many sociologists think that personal and social identity are

tightly interconnected.

 Research suggests that a person’s identity changes during the

course of the lifespan.

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Think about these quotes:

“Language learning is a site of identity construction.”

(Pavlenko, 2002, p. 286).

“Language study is an initiation into a kind of social practice that

is at the boundary of two or more cultures and languages.”
(Train, 2002, p. 13)

“Learners make a foreign language and culture their own by

adopting and adapting it to their own needs and interests.”
(Kramsch, 1998, p. 81).

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 ÇA
IS Regardless of ...
N
… your reasons for choosing to
A
FR

study French OR your sense

of yourself as a student of
French …
… your identity is being
shaped by your experiences
as a French language
learner.
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 What is your place as a
speaker of French in the
larger Francophone world?

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 Approximately 70 million people are native speakers
of French; about 220 million people speak it as a
second language.

 French is an official language in 29 countries and

also the official language of all United Nations
agencies and a large number of international
organizations.

 Demographic research suggests that French

speakers will number approximately 500 million
people in 2025.
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LAF 1
French-speaking people in France show their
identity through behavior, dress, and
LANGUAGE (among other things) …

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French-speaking people in countries that are
former colonies may have mixed feelings
about when, where, and why they speak
French.

Jërejëf
(Merci en Wolof)

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The 6 million native speakers of French in
Canada have strong feelings about the
connection between language and identity.

The motto “je me souviens” reminds them of lineage,

traditions, and memories of the past.

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 je suis
… more than learning tu es

grammar. il/elle/on est

nous sommes
vous êtes
ils/elles sont
… more than learning
vocabulary. la bouche

l’oreille
… more than learning
culture. l’oeil /les yeux

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… you are joining a community of French-speaking people.

… you are developing an awareness about what you think and how
you feel about French language and cultures:

 you may have a pre-conceived set of notions about how French-speaking

people look, dress, and speak.

 you may want to try to speak/act/be like French-speaking people in an effort

to be accepted.

 you may want to retain dimensions of your own language and culture and
establish a boundary between yourself and French-speaking people.

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“… engages the identities of learners because language itself is
not only a linguistic system of signs and symbols, it is also a
complex social practice in which the value and meaning
ascribed to an utterance are determined in part by the value
and meaning ascribed to the person who speaks…. Thus,
language learners are not only learning a linguistic system, they
are learning a diverse set of sociocultural practices, often
best understood in the context of wider relations of power.”
(Norton & Toohey, 2002, p. 115)

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Read “The Quebec National Identity” from the Encyclopedia of
Canada’s People:
www.multiculturalcanada.ca/Encyclopedia/A-Z/c4/3

Write a 2-page essay in English answering these two questions:

1) The article mentions the idea that "identity is defined by borders and
based on political power, which is the only real guarantee of its
maintenance and longevity." Do you agree with this idea? Can you think of
any examples of social identity that is not based on political power?

2) Does your emerging identity as a member of a community of French-

speaking people shape how you understand the language issues in Canada?
Use examples from this presentation to explain your answer.

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Kramsch, C. (1998). Language and culture. New York: Oxford UP

Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2002). Identity and language learning. In R. B.

Kaplan (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of applied linguistics (pp. 115-123).
New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pavlenko, A. (2002). Poststructuralist approaches to the study of social

factors in second language learning and use. In V. Cook (Ed.), Portraits
of the L2 User (pp. 277-302). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Train, R. W. (2002). The (non)native standard language in foreign language

education: A critical perspective. In C. Blyth (Ed.), The
sociolinguistics of foreign-language classrooms (pp. 3-39). Boston,
MA: Heinle.

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