Diphthongization of the vowel /e:/ into the diphthong [ei] is a common phenomenon in Dutch and can be transferred to an L2; we found in our bachelor thesis that, although the French vowel /e/...Show moreDiphthongization of the vowel /e:/ into the diphthong [ei] is a common phenomenon in Dutch and can be transferred to an L2; we found in our bachelor thesis that, although the French vowel /e/ should not be diphthongized, Dutch learners of French tend to do this. Interestingly, they do this more when the vowel /e/ occurs in the first syllable of a word. That is why we investigated in the current study if coarticulation with neighboring sounds plays a role in the diphthongization of the French vowel /e/ in Dutch learners of French. Furthermore, we didn't only focus on production, but we also investigated whether Dutch learners of French can perceive the difference between the French monophthong /e/ and the Dutch diphthong [ei] and whether neighboring sounds influence this perception in an AXB task. Finally, we examined whether the perception of the participants was correlated with their production. We found that the neighboring sounds indeed seem to influence both the production and the perception of the diphthongization of the French vowel /e/; when the /e/ was followed by the dental sound /t/, it was significantly more diphthongized than when it was followed by the labial sound /p/. Interestingly, although the /t/ gives rise to more diphthongization in production, the participants perceived the least diphthongs in a /t/ context in the perception task, which could be explained as a compensation effect for coarticulation. It was less clear whether the participants were able to distinguish between the monophthong /e/ and the diphthong [ei] in the perception task. Finally, we didn't find a correlation between the production and perception of the diphthongization of the French vowel /e/ in Dutch learners of French.Show less
The French Language has several past tenses, including the passé composé and the imparfait. These tenses are at first sight similar to two past tenses in Dutch, the voltooid tegenwoordige tijd and...Show moreThe French Language has several past tenses, including the passé composé and the imparfait. These tenses are at first sight similar to two past tenses in Dutch, the voltooid tegenwoordige tijd and the onvoltooid verleden tijd. For Dutch learners of the French language, it may seem that you use the French passé composé, when you have to use the voltooid tegenwoordige tijd in Dutch, because both the passé composé as the voltooid tegenwoordige tijd are composed of an auxiliary and a past participle. However, there is a difference with regard to the use of these tenses in Dutch and in French. The mother tongue, in this case Dutch, can interfere with the acquisition of the French tenses by Dutch learners. It is possible that there is a negative transfer of Dutch to French. The Dutch education could help learners to acquire the correct use. This thesis examines the transfer of Dutch to French concerning the past tenses and it examines the role that plays education in the process of transfer. In the thesis, we will discuss the past tenses that are used in French and in Dutch and we will examine the role of the mother tongue (Dutch), specially the process of transfer. Furthermore we will discuss the role of de education in this transfer. In which way the education can improve the acquirement of these tenses? With the help of a forced choise task, we will try to specify the role of the transfer of Dutch to French concerning the past tenses and we will try to examine the role of education in this acquisition.Show less
This thesis examines several uses of the French adverb 'seulement' that have been distinguished by French researcher Beyssade (2010). On the basis of a corpus study (Corpus d'Orléans) and speaker...Show moreThis thesis examines several uses of the French adverb 'seulement' that have been distinguished by French researcher Beyssade (2010). On the basis of a corpus study (Corpus d'Orléans) and speaker judgments, this thesis presents some new insights with respect to the theoretical classification of 'seulement'. Some classes have slightly different properties than Beyssade (2010) originally proposed. In this way, this thesis is extending the discussion that has been led on by multiple linguists with regard to the topic of 'seulement'.Show less
In this master thesis, the phenomenon of insubordination will be treated. This phenomenon has been described by Evans (2007:367) for the first time as “the conventionalized main-clause of what, on...Show moreIn this master thesis, the phenomenon of insubordination will be treated. This phenomenon has been described by Evans (2007:367) for the first time as “the conventionalized main-clause of what, on prima facie grounds, appear to be formally subordinate clauses”. Although this phenomenon has been defined several times in prescriptive grammars, Evans (2007) was the first who has done descriptive research for many Indo-European languages, including Dutch. Unfortunately the French language has not been described. Therefore the main subject of this MA thesis will be to compare the theory of Evans (2007) for the Dutch language and apply it to the French language. This thesis will be limited to the conjunctions “if” and “that” which introduce the conventionalized main-clauses. The main objective of this research will be a comparative research into the Dutch and French language, more specific into the two conjunctions “if” and “that”. The reason why those two conjunctions have been chosen is the fact that they appear most often in all the languages which have examined by Evans (2007). The methodology of this MA thesis will be comparative and theoretical. Moreover, there will be a section including some case studies. The content of the different sections will be thus: the first chapter will give an overview of all the literature concerning the phenomenon insubordination. The second chapter will be dedicated to the conjunction “if” in Dutch and French. The next chapter will be dedicated to the conjunction “that” and the fourth chapter will be showing some case studies to support my theory. The Corpus d’Orléans has provided the information for this thesis. Finally, all results will be summarized in the conclusion.Show less
