Olga Ju. Shkolnikova
Moscow State University, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article examines the features of French pronunciation in the 16th ‒ early 17th centuries, typical for various social groups present in Paris during this period. Pronunciation traits of courtiers, lawyers, priests, the bourgeoisie, ordinary Parisians and representatives of different professions are recorded in grammars and dictionaries in the context of discussing the correct usus of the French language. As a result of comparing the peculiarities of their pronunciation, it is possible to reveal a tendency to close vowels in court pronunciation, which was supported by the idea of the elegance of closed vowels, as well as in some cases by the spread of knowledge of classical languages and interest in the etymology of French words. Common pronunciation is characterized by a great openness and rounding of vowels.
Keywords: social stratification of the language, history of the French language, pronunciation features, XVI century
For citation: Shkolnikova O. Ju. Social stratifi cation of French pronunciation in the 16th– early 17th centuries: some features of vocalism. Sociolinguistics, 2020, no. 4(4) [online], pp. 164–172. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.37892/2713-2951-2020-4-4-164-172