The idea behind Genders: A simple tutorial package designed to help learners of French to internalise knowledge of noun gender distinctions

Brian Farrington

United Kingdom

University of Aberdeen

Submitted: 09/23/2021

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Accepted: 09/23/2021

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Published: 09/17/2006

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2006.16369
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This research was not funded

Abstract:

Noun gender is one of the most, if not the most, exasperating features of French for a learner. Apart from a relatively small number of words whose gender is set semantically (père, mère, fils etc.) there seems to be no reason why a table, freedom or France itself should be feminine, while a wall, a beginning or Japan should be masculine.
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References:

Tucker, G.R., Lambert, W.E., Rigault, A. The French Speaker's Skill With Grammatical Gender: An Example Of Rule-Governed Behaviour. The Hague, Mouton 1977. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110805413

Mel'cuk, I.A. Statistics and the Relationship Between The Gender of French Nouns and Their Endings. Translated in: Rozencvejg, V. J. (Ed) Essays on Lexical Semantics, Stockholm 1974.

Farrington, B. "Computer Assisted Learning or Computer Inhibited Acquisition?" in Cameron, K.C., Dodd, W.S. Rahtz, S.P.Q. (Eds) Computers and Modern Language Studies. Chichester, Ellis Horwood 1986.

Matoré, G. Dictionnaire du Vocabulaire Essentiel. (les 5000 Mots Fondamentaux). Paris, Larousse. 1963.

Gougenheim, G. et al. Le Français Fondamental 1er et 2e Degré. Paris, I.P.N. 1959.

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