Department of French and Italian

This course focuses on aspects of grammar and pragmatics where French and English make use of different constructions (e.g., phrasal verbs, the expression of verbal aspect, achieving emphasis, etc.). Its objectives are:

• to identify areas of grammar in which the two languages differ
• to explore why these differences exist and what they mean
• to distinguish differences that are imposed by the grammar of each language from those that serve as stylistic resources
• to become better writers of French or English (or both) as a result of better understanding the structure of each language.

Each week, one specific area of grammar or pragmatics is discussed; the discussion is supplemented and tested against practical problems of translation. Requirements for the course include regularly scheduled short assignments, short oral presentations on a specific area of contrast between French and English, and a term paper which investigates in detail one specific area of contrast by comparing its expression in one or more books and translation(s) thereof.

Obtain online permission from the Graduate Student Services Coordinator.