French Language
Because France
was once a strong colonial power, many countries in Africa and
Indochina still use French as an
official language. Since 1986, French speaking
countries have come together in a grouping called La
Francophonie
(lah fran-ko-fo-NEE) to discuss world
problems. This group of countries makes up 18 percent of the
world
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economy and accounts for more than $100 billion in trade
annually. About 250 million people speak French
worldwide.
Troubadours
Troubadours were the first to use words to entertain others. Starting in
the twelfth century, these traveling
storytellers moved from one town square to another, narrating beautiful stories of love and adventure.
Literature was born in the Middle Ages when the epic stories were first recorded in manuscript form.
The Romance of the Rose and The Song of Roland were well known.
French is a language that shares its roots with Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. It is derived from the Latin
spoken by the Romans who conquered Gaul in 52 B.C. Prior to
the Roman invasion, the people spoke Celtic languages. Today,
only some people in Brittany still know Celtic.
The French is characterized by flowing
intonations and a more complex grammatical structure than English.
The guardian of the language is the Academie Francaise. Founded
in 1635 by Cardinal de Richelieu, one of the greatest prime
ministers in French history, the Academie is
made up of forty members called "immortals." They are chosen
for life from the country's leading writers, scientists, lawyers,
and military leaders. The Academie meets once a week to discuss
ways to preserve the purity of the language
and to work toward making it the most glorious language in the
world. Their main task is to write and edit the Dictionary of
the French Academy. Despite their valiant efforts,
other languages have influenced French, especially English.
Words such as weekend, marketing, business, jogging, stress,
and interview have all made it into everyday French conversations
as well into written French. Many more words, however, have
made their way from French into English. Some English words
borrowed from French are: royal, chic, nouveau riche, gourmet,
rendezvous, and cuisine.
Literature
The first great writer in France was Francois Rabelais, a Renaissance man. His Gargantua and Pantagruel have
been translated into several languages and are still widely read today. Gargantua tells the story of a giant
baby who ate enormous amounts of food. The English adjective "gargantuan," meaning a huge quantity, is derived
from the name of the baby, Gargantua.
During the reign of Louis XIV, playwrights were popular, and Jean-Baptiste Moliere, Pierre Corneille, and Jean
Racine became famous. Moliere wrote comedies; Corneille and Racine wrote tragedies.
In more recent times, French writers such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers),
Marcel Proust (Remembrance of Things Past), Jean Paul Sartre (Human Being and Nothingness), and
Albert Camus (The Alien) have brought new ideas to the French literary scene.
Women writers, previously overshadowed by men, are now gaining recognition. Among contemporary women writers,
Simone de Beauvoir stands out for her definitive feminist work, The Second Sex. Marguerite Duras,
Marguerite Yourcenar, Francoise Sagan, and Helene Cixous are other women whose writings have earned
them great critical acclaim.
Extract from “Countries Of The World France”, Written by Roseline Ngcheong-Lum. Times Edition Pte Ltd. Singapore, 1999.
Amazon eBay: No longer are promising applicants
discouraged from pursuing a postsecondary
degree in France because of their inability to
speak French. Instead, admissions officers and
advisers help applicants take steps to gain
the language skills they need to accomplish
their academic goals. But one thing has not
changed: Accurate assessment of applicants’
proficiency in French remains essential. A poor
command of the language is the leading cause
of academic failure, especially in the social
sciences and law. In schools of engineering,
by contrast, the level of French-language
proficiency of incoming students, while still
important, takes second place to the depth
and breadth of the applicant’s preparation in
science and technology.
THE PRINCIPAL TESTS OF FRENCH-LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND DIPLOMAS IN FRENCH
Before enrolling in the first or second year of undergraduate studies (L1 and L2) in a
French university or school of architecture all international students who are not nationals
of other member states of the European Union must file a preliminary application for
admission (demande d’admission préalable, DAP) in which they demonstrate their level of
French proficiency, either by reporting their performance on a language-proficiency test (TCFDAP
or TEF) or by showing that they hold a diploma in French (DELF/DALF).
To enroll in the third year of undergraduate study (L3), in a graduate program, or in an
independent school of engineering or business, the requirements are not uniform. Each
institution is free to set its own standards of proficiency in French. For that reason, applicants
must ascertain the requirements of the institutions to which they apply.
The TCF and TCF-DAP
- The Test de Connaissance de Français (TCF, test of French proficiency) is the Frenchlanguage
test administered by the French Ministry of National Education. Developed by
the Centre International d’Études Pédagogiques (CIEP, international center for pedagogical
studies), a certifying body belonging to ALTE, the Association of Language Testers in Europe,
the TCF tests proficiency in general French.
The TCF includes two series of tests:
- three required tests (each consisting of a set of questions): oral comprehension (30
questions), language structures (grammar and vocabulary, 20 questions), and written
comprehension (30 questions)
- two optional tests, each independent of the other: oral expression and written expression.
Tests are graded at the CIEP office in Paris. Candidates receive a report of results that places
them at one of the six levels (A1 to C2) of the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages (CEFR, see annex 1).
- The TCF for the preliminary application for admission (or TCF-DAP) is a form of the TCF
designed specifically for the preliminary application for admission to undergraduate years
1 and 2 in the universities and schools of architecture. It consists of two 90-minute tests:
the 3 required components of the TCF plus a special test of written proficiency (a 250-word
assessment of a sample of numerical data and a 400-word essay).
The TCF is given in 626 approved centers in 129 countries, including France. In some
countries, the required components of the test may be taken on computer. Grades are valid
for two years. A student may take the TCF or TCF-DAP any number of times, provided 60
days pass between tests.
Note: Test dates vary from country to country. Some countries administer the TCF-DAP just
once a year, whereas others (including Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Vietnam)
organize several sessions. Prospective test-takers should contact the test center of their
choice to determine sessions dates, fees, and registration procedures.
The TEF
The Test d’Évaluation de Français (TEF, French assessment test), administered by the
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris (CCIP), measures candidates’ level of proficiency
in general French, placing them on a scale indexed to the levels of the CEFR.
The TEF consists of two sets of tests:
- the required component is a multiple-choice questionnaire composed of 150 questions
(50 questions on written comprehension, 60 on oral comprehension, and 40 on vocabulary
and structure)
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