After my first year of teaching at the University of Virginia, Professor Karen James asked me to give this presentation to the incoming cohort of graduate students. Since then, I have presented it four times to four different cohorts. This is the latest iteration.


Introductions

Hi everybody! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Spyridon (Spyros) Simotas and I am a PhD student here at the University of Virginia working on an (ahem) overdue dissertation.

My research examines the creative mess three contemporary French writers have been making on the web since the early 2000. Entrenched in the literary tradition, they claimed the electronic turf as their own medium for experimentation, sharing their work with more emphasis on the making than the final product. This gave rise to a body of unfinished, often unpolished, non to mention unpublished by conventional means, work that I call Brouillon.net and I am looking the different ways in which each writer interprets this notion of brouillon.

My research happens on the intersection of critical theory (especially the late Roland Barthes), avant-gardes movements (especially Oulipo, and, more specifically Georges Perec), and Digital Humanities.

Speaking of Digital Humanities, starting this year (2018) a new Digital Humanities track and Certificate will be offered to Graduate students in Arts and Sciences. As part of my own training in Digital Humanities, I was a Praxis Fellow last year, where I worked collaboratively with five other graduate students on an Augmented Reality project. It’s called UVA Reveal, and it connects archival documents from our library with physical spaces on Grounds. I am particularly proud to say that one of the augmented locations is the French Department. If you have an Android phone or tablet, I encourage you to download the app from our website and offer yourself an alternative tour of Grounds. You will find the link on my website, or on the posters you’ll see plastered in the hallway.

Voilà. That’s enough about me for now. Let’s go around and hear a little bit about you!

Vocabulary in Context

You can find the slides of this presentation here.


Before I start, I should say that my intention today is to have a dialogue with you, and to take this opportunity to start sharing ideas, comparing notes, and learning from each other.

Some of you may have never taught before and are probably feeling very stressed right now –who doesn’t, actually? Luckily, Professor Karen James is doing everything possible to provide you with the necessary teaching resources and the moral support you need to succeed.

You are not alone. We are all part of the same team of French language instructors. Our individual work reflects back to the team and vice-versa. We are all here to learn and grow and pass our love for the French language and culture to our students. We are all different, with different individual interests and strengths, but we can all make a difference in our students’ lives.

Questions so far?

Alright, and now to the presentation. My presentation is divided in two parts:

  1. In the first two thirds of my presentation I am building an argument around the notion of “context” through a collection of quotes, from surrealism to information theory.
  2. In the last third of my presentation, I will talk about a few concrete teaching examples I have used in my classes.

1. The dictionary

When I think of vocabulary, I think of the dictionary. Why don’t we teach vocabulary with the dictionary? Say, assign a few pages to students every day to learn by heart and then move to a few more pages and so on. Is vocabulary compatible with the dictionary? After all, a dictionary offers the most comprehensive view of any given language. Why we don’t give a few pages each day to students to learn by heart?

2. Use of the dictionary

A dictionary has very specific uses, none of which are helpful in teaching vocabulary in a foreign language class. The presentation of the words in the dictionary reflects the affordances of its medium –the book.

  • Alphabetical order.

Despite its usefulness, alphabetical order flattens the language. Unless we are already familiar with the language, we can’t really say by looking the words up in a dictionary which are the most commonly used which are the ones that we want to learn first.

  • The dictionary lacks context.

There is no thematic grouping of words together.

  • Serendipity.

There are of course playful uses for the dictionary, too. We can use the dictionary in a serendipitous mode, jumping around reading and learning about words with which we are not familiar. From my limited exposure to foreign language learning apps, I have realized that they work in a similar way. The apps pull words from a dictionary and assemble them in random but grammatically correct sentences. My suspicion however, is that learning words out of context, affects the retention rate. Human brains retain information by associations. Being able to correctly align a few words together in the target language: “La fille porte une robe verte”, hardly made anyone able to communicate with a native speaker.

  • Reference document.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I use the dictionary all the time,whether it is to check the definition or the spelling of a word, or to find a synonym. The dictionary is thus a reference document but not a learning instrument.

3. Endangered Species

These days, dictionaries in their printed form are “endangered species”, if not already extinct. Do you own a dictionary? Do you use online dictionaries? My favorite French dictionary online is the Dictionnaire Vivant de la Langue Française, a joint effort between the University of Chicago and the ATILF (Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française). I find it extremely useful because it aggregates entries from many traditional dictionaries and offers a clear layout with synonyms, antonyms, collocations, and mots associés on the same page. Collocations and mots associés bring us closer to the notion of context that we discuss today.

4. Les associations des mots

Let’s see what André Breton says about words:

Les mots sont sujets à se grouper selon des affinités particulières, lesquelles ont généralement pour effet de leur faire recréer à chaque instant le monde sur son vieux modèle.1

According to Breton, words’ tendency to naturally fall into groups is a source of frustration. Surrealism was an effort to break this predictability, creating new word associations. However, during foreign language instruction, we want students to take advantage of the natural phenomenon of words association. A major part of learning a language is to assimilate and tap into this natural pool of “phrases toutes faites” (set expressions). These expressions go unnoticed when we are familiar with the language, but until our students notice these repetitive patterns we have to point them out to them. Our textbook Espaces does a great job having the characters of the Roman Photo repeat these everyday expressions and then it groups under a little section called “Expressions Utiles”.

Tip: For the section “Mon dictionnaire” of their e-portfolios you can ask your students to use these expressions as well.

We would all be happy if at the end of the semester these expressions had been assimilated by our students.

5. Claude Shannon’s experiment

Claude Shannon, mathematician and well known as “the father of information theory”, has shown evidence that what we knew intuitively about words following patterns is actually true. Applying a certain number of parameters to a random string of letters and spaces and then repeating with more and more parameters over and over again, words started to form.

6. Predictability and Surprise

We communicate with one another by making ourselves predictable, within certain limits. Put another way, the difference between random nonsense and a recognizable language is the presence of rules that reduce surprise.2

We rely on coded systems to communicate. Language is one of these highly coded systems. What separates the native speaker from the foreign language learner is the familiarity with “the code.” The higher the familiarity with “the code”, the bigger the percentage of redundancy and predictability. The lower the familiarity with “the code”, the bigger the surprise, or even the nonsense.

7. Word networks

Words are simultaneously part of many different networks:

  • Phonetic: words that share similar sounds
  • Morphologic: words that stem from the same form
  • Affective: having to do with the emotional intensity of a situation
  • Semantic: the literal meaning of the words

8. Definition of context.

So far, we have mentioned context. We have seen, for example, that there is a lack of context in the dictionary. We have seen with Breton and Shannon that words associate with each other to form set expressions, a phenomenon of predictability that can be frustrating for the poet, but extremely efficient in human communication. But let’s try to be more concrete. What is context? Please take a minute to define context with a partner.

Context is:

  • “The part of the text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning”;
  • “the circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting”.

9. Importance of context.

How does a native speaker learn words? By placing them into a specific context! When a kid flips through their book Les animaux de la ferme what are the chances they find a giraffe or an elephant? Elephants and giraffes are more likely to be found in the zoo, or a different book: “Les animaux de la jungle.” Same with color learning. Colors are associated with natural elements: rouge comme une tomate, bleu comme l’océan, blanc comme le lait, etc.

Word groups and associations are not the only ways to approach vocabulary. Songs can also help students memorize words and set expressions, plus they help create a little pleasant moment in the classroom. Let’s listen to this one : Des os.

Over and over the song repeats the same words and expressions, a very useful technique in foreign language acquisition. Repetition leads to memorization, and, consequently to assimilation.

Let’s conclude then that context is important because:

  • It groups the vocabulary under themes/topics. (i.e. les animaux de la ferme)
  • It helps find the right word for the right situation. (i.e. commander au restaurant, parler de son avenir)
  • It helps create words associations. (i.e. coffee-break)

10. Brouiller l’ordre des mots

Let’s come back to André Breton and his previous quote.

Les mots sont sujets à se grouper selon des affinités particulières, lesquelles ont généralement pour effet de leur faire recréer à chaque instant le monde sur son vieux modèle. Je crois qu’il n’est pas trop tard pour revenir sur cette déception, inhérente aux mots dont nous avons fait jusqu’ici mauvais usage. Qu’est-ce qui me retient de brouiller l’ordre des mots, d’attenter de cette manière à l’existence toute apparente des choses !3

The poet’s frustration in regard to « les affinités particulières des mots » is a blessing for us. The poet seeks to create conflict zones within the language and legitimize the logic of the absurd: “La terre est bleue comme une orange”. Conversely, we seek the exact opposite with our students: we are happy when they are able to express themselves in a cohesive, albeit banal manner.

12. L’accouchement de pizza

We are not immune, however, to some “accidental surrealism”. Can you imagine what this student was trying to say? They translated an expression from English to French with the first word they found on the dictionary.

13. Cacophonie

Il y a cacophonie dès qu’il y a confusion ou brouillage des lexiques, sauf à des fins de satire ou quand la dissonance est recherchée en vue d’un effet précis.4

14. Vocabulary learning with Espace and Imaginez

Every unit is based on a theme/topic.

Espace Context: dedicated to vocabulary

This is the section of the book that I find the most difficult to teach. Flipping the classroom and asking students to come prepared, having studied the vocabulary of the unit at home, makes it much easier. How do you teach this section? Do you have any creative ideas?

Espace Roman Photo: a simulation of a real-life situation where the vocabulary and grammar of the unit are used.

This is a section that I particularly appreciate. From the point of view of the native speaker it seems like a slowed down audio. Nevertheless, this is the model of oral French we want our students to replicate.

Warm up idea: Have two students learn by heart a small section of the previous day Roman Photo and perform it in class the next day. By doing so, they will get the following benefits:

  • watch the Roman Photo again,
  • learn and repeat a few set expressions,
  • be more prepared for the oral exam.

Espace Culture: More vocabulary and cultural awareness.

Each unit has an assortment of texts related to the topic with various activities.

15. Example Avenir-Métiers

Espace Contexte Unité 13 - L’avenir et les métiers

Assuming that students have studied the vocabulary the previous night at home, you can start asking them questions.

  • Où est-ce que nous sommes ?
  • Quel est le nom de la compagnie ?
  • Que fait la secrétaire ? Pourquoi elle ne décroche pas le téléphone ?
  • Est-ce que la directrice des Ressources Humaines est occupée ?

16. Example Espace vert

Comparez les deux images.

Espace Contexte Unité 14 - L’espace vert

Édouard Manet - Le déjeuner sur l’herbe

Utilisation des structures grammaticales de l’unité : comparatif/superlatif des noms.

  • Il y a plus d’arbres dans le tableau de Manet.
  • Il y a moins de nourriture dans l’image du livre.
  • Il y a plus d’animaux dans l’image du livre.
  • Il y a autant d’herbe dans les deux images.

17. Inversez l’ordre du livre

Inversez l’ordre du livre: (1) Roman photo > (2) Espace Contexte

  1. Roman Photo - La panne (Espace 11B)
    Après le visionnage demandez aux étudiants s’ils ont des mots inconnus et répondez aux questions Vrai ou Faux.

  2. Revenez à l’espace contexte et reprenez le vocabulaire avec les exercices.

18. Approfondir le vocabulaire avec espaces cultures

Approfondir le vocabulaire avec Espace Culture

19. Summary

Use the book 📕

All the necessary resources to teach and learn vocabulary in context are in the book! Insist on that with your students. The use of wordreference.com often times leads to accidental surrealism!

Get inspired 💡

French Instructors Collab sites provide a wide range of material for everybody to use!

Be Creative ⚡️

Come up your own authentic material.

Share ♻️

Don’t forget: ideas are greater when shared. Share your class materials with your colleagues!

Footnotes

  1. André Breton, Point du Jour, Nouv. éd. rev. et corr, Collection Idées (Paris: [Paris] Gallimard [1970], 1970) ↩

  2. Rob Goodman et Jimmy Soni, « How a polymath transformed our understanding of information », Aeon. ↩

  3. op. cit. ↩

  4. Éric Chevillard, Le Désordre Azerty, (Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 2014). ↩