College French Concise Textbook

Author: Xue Jiancheng
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-04-01
Features: "Simple College French Course" (lefrancais2elangueetranger) is the first French textbook written based on the "Teaching Syllabus for College French (Second Foreign Language)." It is designed for undergraduate and graduate students at higher education institutions who have French as their second foreign language. The textbook consists of thirty-six lessons: four lessons for the phonetics stage, and thirty-two lessons for the basic stage (including four review lessons). Calculating half a week per lesson in the phonetics stage and one week per lesson in the basic stage, plus time for reviews and exams, the total teaching time covers one academic year. According to the teaching syllabus, "The objective of French (second foreign language) teaching is primarily to cultivate students' preliminary abilities in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation, enabling them to grasp basic French knowledge and skills and lay a linguistic foundation for further study of French." For this reason, the textbook limits the number of vocabulary items to be comprehensively mastered to 1,500, and the grammar has been carefully selected to be concise and progressive. The phonetics stage emphasizes both pronunciation and intonation, teaching students to master them through speaking exercises. It also includes pronunciation and reading drills to develop students' recognition and spelling skills. Training in phonetics and intonation should be integrated throughout the entire academic year. According to the teaching syllabus, "The objective of French (second foreign language) teaching is primarily to cultivate students' preliminary abilities in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation, enabling them to grasp basic French knowledge and skills and lay a linguistic foundation for further study of French." The target audience is undergraduate and graduate students at higher education institutions who have French as their second foreign language. For this reason, the textbook limits the number of vocabulary items to be comprehensively mastered to 1,500, and the grammar has been carefully selected to be concise and progressive. The textbook consists of thirty-six lessons: four lessons for the phonetics stage, and thirty-two lessons for the basic stage (including four review lessons). Calculating half a week per lesson in the phonetics stage and one week per lesson in the basic stage, plus time for reviews and exams, the total teaching time covers one academic year.
The arrangement of each lesson in the basic stage is as follows:
1. Text: The topics are diverse and, with an emphasis on introducing cultural background knowledge. The materials are primarily dialogues, with narrative texts kept simple and easy to learn, facilitating training in listening, speaking, and communication skills.
2. Vocabulary List: Each lesson includes a vocabulary list with the words and phrases from the text, plus one or two additional commonly used words and phrases. A comprehensive vocabulary list is also provided at the end of the book.
3. "Savoirdire": There are 15 short texts, all of which are everyday phrases and sentences that help enrich students' expressive means. In teaching, these should be learned and applied in specific contexts.
4. "Savoirvivre": There are 13 short texts that introduce cultural knowledge about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation in France, thereby better integrating language with culture.
5. Notes: To assist students with minor linguistic difficulties, each lesson includes several notes.
6. Grammar: All grammatical items specified in the teaching syllabus are presented and repeated in the text. The organization and explanations of grammar are scientific, concise, and accurate.
7. Exercises: The exercises are divided into grammar exercises and text exercises, featuring various, practical, and innovative formats. They emphasize repetitive review, helping students build a solid foundation in language skills.
8. Reading Texts: Starting from Lesson 5, each lesson includes a reading text with a vocabulary list and notes. These texts are practical, informative, and engaging, designed to strengthen students' reading skills. The purpose is to provide students with opportunities to reuse language materials and improve their reading ability.
9. Review Lessons: There are four review lessons, scheduled halfway through and at the end of each semester, to comprehensively practice the language knowledge covered.