In France, the move to create feminine forms for traditionally masculine job titles (professeur, rédacteur) has, like other efforts to reduce gender-bias in the language, encountered significant resistance. Why has it been so difficult for "Hexagonal" French in particular to institute gender-based language reforms? The difficulty, it will be argued, is due not only to the obvious societal and "internal" linguistic factors, i.e., the inherent sexism of French society and grammatical constraints imposed by the French gender system, but also to a clash of ideologies that pits language change-of any sort-against an edifice of beliefs and subjective attitudes about the French language collectively known as bon usage.
The French Review is the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of French and has the largest circulation of any scholarly journal of French studies in the world. The Review publishes articles and reviews on French and francophone literature, cinema, society and culture, linguistics, technology, and pedagogy six times a year. Every issue includes a column by Colette Dio entitled "La Vie des mots," an exploration of new developments in the French language. Jean DeCock reviews the Cannes Film Festival yearly, and Michael Bishop, William Cloonan, Martine Antle, and James P. McNab review the year's work in poetry, the novel, theater, and society. Manuscript and editorial communications for the French Review should be addressed to the Editor: Christopher P. Pinet Dept. of Modern Lang. &Lit.; Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59715. Books for the review should be addressed to the appropriate Review Editor.
The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) was founded in 1927 and is the largest national association of French teachers in the world with nearly 10,000 members. As a professional association we seek to address the concerns of our members which include: Promoting the study of languages in general and French in particular. Facilitating the implementation of national and state standards in the classroom. Improving the training of French teachers by encouraging minimum levels of language and cultural proficiency, and exposure to the French-speaking world through study abroad opportunities. Creating opportunities and finding resources for practicing teachers to update their skills and improve their teaching. Encouraging the use of new technologies in the teaching of French and actively developing materials to support this use.
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© 1997 American Association of Teachers of French
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