Abstract:
This study is based on the fact that students of the Department of French Education at the
University of Education, Winneba find it difficult to use accents in French. It started
when we discovered during an orthographic test, that most of the students did not know
the nature and the functions of the different accents in French, making it difficult for
them to learn the French orthography. Our objectives were to identify and suggest
solutions to the challenges faced in using these accents in order to be able to master the
French orthography. Two theories were considered: the theory of Catach which best
explains the complex nature of the French orthography, and the cognitivists’ theory. We
proceeded by the action method: test-intervention-posttest. Analysis of the data from the
test showed that the problem is real and needed to be treated. It has three main sources:
the absence of accents in English, the complex nature of the French orthography and the
negligence of some teachers towards these accents due to the fact that manuals don’t give
importance to their teaching. The English also has some impact on the learning of the
French orthography with regard to the use of accents. After intervention, analysis of the
posttest’s data identified that though our method of intervention yielded good results,
some of the challenges still remain. Our suggestion is that more attention should be given
to the teaching of accents in French because they play an important role in mastering the
French orthography.
Description:
A Thesis in the Department of French Education, Faculty of
Foreign Languages Education, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(French Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba.
