CITOYEN.NE.S: Conversation en Français

Reviewed by Sarah-Kay Hurst, Assistant Professor of French, The George Washington University on 1/24/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This textbook conscientiously integrates diversity and inclusion, seeking to present a more heterogeneous representation of French speakers and an exploration of francophone cultures beyond Metropolitan France. Additional resources, like news articles and government websites, are often hyperlinked in the text to allow the reader to further explore particular topics, such as ethnic and cultural identity. Open-ended debate questions are also integrated throughout the work to encourage students to explore the topics and develop their own opinions. As explained in the prefatory material, the textbook is designed for the intermediate level, not for beginner learners. The text is rich in terms of current topics and colloquial vocabulary, but would perhaps be best suited to an upper-level conversation class, following at least four semesters of French language to solidify grammatical foundations. Given the vocabulary (for example, specific terms for the French university system), this would be an excellent resource to prepare students who plan to study abroad in France. There is a brief table of contents, but no index or glossary. A glossary could be useful, particularly for some colloquial expressions that students may not have encountered in previous levels of French, particularly if they were studying with more traditional pedagogical materials. (However, it should be noted that the author states in the prefatory material that learners can use the Internet to look up terms with which they are not familiar). The grammatical explanations are brief and generally well organized, but would likely be insufficient as stand-alone elucidations (particularly for more complex topics such as relative pronouns): these descriptions and examples would serve as brief review highlights for students who had already studied the topics, or else be complemented by further explanations by a professor.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The integration of extremely colloquial French is likely to be appreciated by students, who often long for more informal and conversational expressions, yet may be greeted with reticence by educators seeking to impart a more formal register of French. Numerous abbreviations (philo, assoc’, resto, anniv’, appart) and colloquial items (truc, relax, dingue) are integrated into the dialogues, images, and vocabulary lists without necessarily indicating that these elements are more informal. However, the textbook is (as per the subtitle) designed to build conversational French. The content itself is overall accurate and error-free.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

As linguistic norms and societal tendencies evolve, updates may be necessary, but this textbook is currently at the forefront of the field, not only in terms of active pedagogical representations of diversity, but also in terms of a deliberate inclusion of francophone cultures beyond France. Some statistics (such as demographic information from 2020) could be updated in the future, and certain social media trends (such as Instagram hashtags) may evolve, but the work is currently very up-to-date and unlikely to become obsolete anytime soon.

Clarity rating: 4

The introductory sections for different topics are written in casual, conversational French to present information and to engage students in the learning process. For instance, several activities ask learners to do their own research in order to deepen their understanding, or include website links for further reading. There are also informative footnotes throughout the text to give students more context about usage and linguistic nuances for key vocabulary items. Translations are provided for certain vocabulary items, but not consistently: this format was a conscientious decision (as explained in the prefatory material), as twenty-first century learners have access to the Internet and can look up vocabulary as necessary. However, some learners might appreciate a glossary to avoid having to search for several lexical items they likely would not have encountered in previous levels of French. Certain grammatical structures could also be noted as extremely informal and generally restricted to spoken French so that students are able to refine their knowledge of register.

Consistency rating: 5

The work is generally internally consistent, often using écriture inclusive (‘inclusive language’), as in the title (Cityon.ne.s), as well as regularly integrating a much more informal register than is typical of many mainstream pedagogical resources. Some of the more colloquial lexical items are indicated by the use of headings like argot (‘slang’), but others are simply integrated and might be assumed to be more neutral. Some notes about use and register are included for particular topics, such as verlan (‘French inverted syllable slang’), indicating that it ought not to be utilized in all situations, especially as certain terms may be perceived as pejorative.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided into five “units” or chapters, each with some cultural information and context, relevant vocabulary and expressions, grammatical elements to review, different debate questions and/or research projects, and authentic resources (such as songs, films, or literary texts). Discrete activities could certainly be selected for those who wish to use the textbook as a companion resource. It could be helpful to indicate page numbers for different sections (vocabulary, grammatical review and exercises, film analysis, etc), both in the table of contents at the beginning of the work, and perhaps at the outset of each unit/chapter, so that one could quickly navigate within a unit.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The work is organized by overarching themes (talking about oneself, current societal topics like immigration and climate change, traveling and taking care of oneself, work and the professional sphere, and art/entertainment). Each unit includes relevant vocabulary, grammar, and authentic resources to complement the chosen theme. The prefatory material encourages the user to change the order if preferred and/or to select relevant portions.

Interface rating: 5

There are no significant interface issues and the text is visually pleasing, esthetically divided into various sections in a way that invites the reader to continue exploring each chapter. Very occasionally, a hyperlink is missing, but the vast majority of the text is easily readable and allows for straightforward navigation.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are minor inconsistencies in terms of agreement and occasional typos, but these discrepancies are very rare and do not detract from the overall readability of the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This textbook’s central mission (as outlined in the preface and referenced in the title) is to be as inclusive as possible: the work integrates myriad representations of different ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, and identities. The text also includes numerous activities where students are encouraged to express their own perspectives/identities/experiences. The representations in illustrations and in examples (as evidenced by names) are diverse. Although many of the topics are centered on Metropolitan France, there are also sections about linguistic traditions, cultural conventions, or portraits of individuals from Quebec, Haiti, Cameroun, Guadeloupe, Morocco, Tahiti, Côte d’Ivoire, Belgium and Senegal, among others.