A Sociolinguistic History of Parisian French

This book examines the interlinked history of Parisian speech and the Parisian population.

R. Anthony Lodge (Author)

9780521821797, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 February 2004

304 pages, 19 maps 22 tables
23.6 x 16.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.632 kg

"In this richly documented book, Lodge embarks on a bold, risky, yet compelling enterprise: attempting as plausible and comprehensive a reconstruction as possible of the history of Parisian French...the pedagogical approach chosen by the author is evidenced by the presence of a summary at the end of each chapter and of each part makes the reading and the understanding of the book easier and more enjoyable." Jean-Guy Mboudjeke, Dalhousie University

Paris mushroomed in the thirteenth century to become the largest city in the Western world, largely through in-migration from rural areas. The resulting dialect-mixture led to the formation of new, specifically urban modes of speech. From the time of the Renaissance social stratification became sharper as the elites distanced themselves from the Parisian 'Cockney' of the masses. Nineteenth-century urbanisation transformed the situation yet again with the arrival of huge numbers of immigrants from far-flung corners of France, levelling dialect-differences and exposing ever larger sections of the population to standardising influences. At the same time, a working-class vernacular emerged which was distinguished from the upper-class standard not only in grammar and pronunciation but most markedly in vocabulary (slang). This book examines the interlinked history of Parisian speech and the Parisian population through these various phases of in-migration, dialect-mixing and social stratification from medieval times to the present day.

Part I. Preliminaries
Introduction
1. 'The French of Paris'
2. The analytical frame
Part II. The pre-industrial city
3. The demographic take-off
4. The beginnings of Parisian French
5. The medieval written evidence
Part III. The proto-industrial city
6. Social and sociolinguistic change, 1350–1750
7. Variation in the Renaissance city
8. Variation under the Ancien Regime
9. Salience and reallocation
Part IV. The industrial city
10. Industrial growth, 1750–1950
11. Standardisation and dialect-levelling
12. Lexical variation
Conclusion
Appendix
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD], Sociolinguistics [CFB]