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Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Early Modern French Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Author-supplied Abstracts.)

Copyright of Seventeenth -- Century French Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates the scale of vocabulary learning that appears to be common among British foreign language learners of French up to university graduation. These results are compared with historical data and the knowledge learners possessed in previous generations. This is done by comparing current students' vocabulary knowledge with students who studied more than 20 years ago. These comparisons provide very powerful evidence in support of claims made to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority of a progressive decline in the knowledge of learners and the standard of school examinations over a period of decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amongst the numerous Italianisms entering French in the sixteenth century, the items whose corresponding form in standard Italian contained the initial consonant sequence s + consonant are of special interest. In French, such words typically emerged with the addition of a 'prosthetic' vowel, as in estramaçon but standard Italian stramazzone. However, somewhat unexpectedly, in the two Dialogues of Henri Estienne (1578) where Italianizing manners and speech are satirized, the great majority of the Italianisms of this type that are used by the author do not contain a prosthetic vowel. It is proposed that the general non-use of prosthetic forms by Estienne is due to the nature of the particular type of Italian that he uses as a source for the Italianisms figuring in this work. This was the standard literary Italian language that had become established by the second half of the sixteenth century. In this variety of Italian, vowel prosthesis was of very limited occurrence. The few cases where Estienne does cite Italianisms containing a prosthetic vowel are demonstrated to be technical rather than literary words that had entered French usage by more popular channels of transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the historical development of the French language from the perspective of medieval glossators. Shortcomings of the phonological approach; Reasons for the neglect of glosses; Difficulty of determining validity of form; Lack of identical translations for the Latin terms found in didactic texts; Diversity of medieval glosses.

Draws attention to the skillful use made of homonyms as a major aid in the teaching of French before the time of the linguistic geographers. Explanation on how the work of a medieval Englishman can add to and correct the work of modern lexicographers; Examination of examples of homonymic group in French which show their different levels of complexity and the diverse areas of vocabulary from which they are drawn.

Suggests origins of the word `revolution' and its development in French in a political sense. Examination of relevant terms; Word's semantic uses; Alteration of word's meaning; Usage of term in private expressions; Emergence of political term in French writing.

The article explores the historical origins of the French word phonème. Emphasis is given to a letter to the editors of a Dutch journal for the study of language by phonetician Antoni Dufriche-Desgenettes in 1862. Other topics include Bulgarian educator and natural philosopher Petăr Beron, French national bibliography, and the digitization of sources.

The article reviews volume XIII, 2011 of the journal "Le Français Préclassique, 1500-1650."