MODERN APPROACHES TO TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT FRENCH UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The article deals with modern approaches to teaching foreign languages at French universities, existing problems and modern challenges due to historical, social and cultural factors. The modern language and foreign language approaches to a foreign language teaching have been distinguished. The study about a foreign language teaching and learning has been defined as a young discipline in the article. It has been stressed that learning models which viewed language acquisition as the formation of habits and suggested teaching methods emphasizing memorization and drills, have given way to cognitive approaches focusing on information processing and have led to methods based on comprehension and communication. The article emphasizes that France is traditionally viewed as a monolingual country, and here the system of bilingual education is available only for some regional languages: Breton, Corsican, Occitan, Catalan, Basque and German. It has been stated that learning a foreign language in a context of an institution takes place with structural constraints such as a limited contact time and a lack of socialization in the language via an existing community that speaks the chosen language. It is said that the idea of the «native speaker» as a model of proficiency still dominates language education and language mistakes are often stigmatized instead of being regarded as a natural and considerable part of building communicative skills. The modern language and foreign language approaches to second or foreign language teaching have been distinguished. The paradoxes of a foreign language study at French universities have been stressed; three different problems for foreign languages learning and teaching at university level in France have been analyzed. The factors which influence second language acquisition have been considered: the quantity of incoming information, or language exposure which students receive; the type of their interaction; the quality of feedback they get. The lack of hours for foreign language learning at French universities has been stated. The use of instructional and communication technology (ICT) in combination with face-to-face instruction have been suggested as a practical solution in the modern conditions of France’s higher education.

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