This article examines the situation of Czech FLE teachers facing the marginalization of French in primary and secondary schools. It highlights the challenges related to continuing education and the connection between language didactics research and classroom practice. Using the concrete example of the participatory creation of the textbook Et si on discutait ?, the text illustrates how developing argumentative and critical skills among teachers can strengthen those of their students. The study emphasizes the importance of close cooperation between teachers, researchers, and publishers, and demonstrates that the effective appropriation of teaching materials requires systematic reflection and structured support. The results show significant achievements, but also reveal areas for further development, including the ability to take perspective, problematize, and engage in metacognitive reflection. Finally, the article suggests that closer collaboration between research and practice could contribute to enhancing the status of second language education.
To address the question featured in the title of this article, we will begin by reviewing the research literature on this pivotal moment, with a particular focus on studies examining its reception in the Central and Eastern European countries in general, and in Hungary in particular. We will then explore whether similar ideas have or have not been reflected in foreign language teaching methodologies, based on institutional texts produced by the Council of Europe between 1990 and 2015. Thirdly, we will investigate the sense of belonging to Europe among Hungarian teachers of French. The aim is to compare European integration, language and education policies with their reception at individual level, in order to highlight the profound discrepancies that need to be addressed if we are to develop a truly inclusive methodology for teaching foreign languages in Europe.
This study examines the integration of rectified spellings of loanwords into contemporary French, with a focus on their presence in lexicographic resources (Dico en ligne Le Robert and Usito) and their frequency of use in the Aranea web corpora (France and Canada). Based on a selection of 123 loanwords affected by the 1990 French spelling reform, the analysis compares traditional and recommended spellings and observes their distribution across varieties of French. The results confirm a strong representation of English loanwords among the rectified forms, as well as a more systematic implementation of the reform in Usito than in Dico en ligne Le Robert. Corpus data show that 23% of the lexical items in both French and Canadian corpora occur more frequently in their rectified form, particularly those influenced by English. Although differences between traditional and rectified spellings remain limited overall, the study highlights an ongoing tendency toward stabilization of the reformed orthography. Further research is encouraged to assess the sociolinguistic and normative factors influencing the adoption of rectified spelling in the francophone world.
This research analyzes the methodological contributions of FRANCOPHONIA teacher training for Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in French as a Foreign Language (FFL) teaching. Based on reflective analysis of training received in Nice (December 2023), this study examines how intercultural methodologies can enrich European educational cooperation. The IMRAD methodology combines auto-ethnographic analysis with comparative study of Algerian and European contexts. Results identify transferable pedagogical tools and propose an operational model for bidirectional Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. The discussion highlights the originality of the South-North perspective and its implications for Alliance 4EU+ objectives. Recommendations include institutional integration of Mediterranean cooperation and development of intercultural training modules.
Foreign language training cannot be limited to teaching formal linguistic skills alone in the current globalized and increasingly mobile world. Effective communication is based on understanding social-cultural referents of the Other. In this context, intercultural competence (IC) has thus become a fundamental objective of language teaching and learning, enabling learners to develop a reflective and empathetic attitude towards cultural diversity. In Morocco, integrating the intercultural dimension into French and English language instruction raises several pedagogical, institutional and cultural issues. While curricula emphasize cultural openness, classroom practices often focus on linguistic mastery and “scholarly” culture (literature, history, civilization), neglecting experiential and relational approaches. The present study aims to investigate Moroccan teachers’ attitudes and practices regarding the use of the intercultural approach in foreign language teaching. Based on a study conducted in the field, it identifies areas for development as well as areas of resistance and progress toward more open and inclusive language didactics that are in line with the reality of the plural world.
This article focuses on lexical borrowings into French, namely the anglicism bootstrap, which, in both the donor language (English) and recipient language (French), is polysemous, with a range of senses across various domains. The article defines a specific, specialized sense of the word, used in reference to the relatively new sphere of activity known as the creative economy. The article also outlines the process of searching for the word’s French equivalents using the Sketch Engine corpus manager. As evidence of bootstrap’s full assimilation into French terminology, the article presents examples of its derivatives in primarily online texts, using the web corpora French Web 2020 (frTenTen20) and French Web 2023 (frTenTen23).
When examining a selection of French as a Foreign Language (FFL) textbooks, one is often left with the impression of an idealized world – one characterized by mutual understanding and harmony between oneself and the Other, a world devoid of delinquency, prejudice, and hatred. These textbooks appear to promote a binary view of sexual identity and present a vision of society in which individuals consistently behave in an exemplary manner, exhibiting perfect control over both their bodies and their speech. While this depiction is far from reflective of reality, FFL textbooks persist in maintaining a level of evasiveness, often omitting the representation of sensitive issues and taboos. This tendency extends to their portrayal of France, which is frequently depicted as a stereotypical, idyllic version of the country, showing only one side of the cultural spectrum. Given that most of these textbooks are intended for use in a variety of countries, it is reasonable to assume that they are designed to accommodate the sensitivities of different target audiences, as well as any potential antagonisms that certain content might provoke among both teachers and learners. This paper aims to explore the extent to which taboos and sensitive subjects are represented, or omitted, in a selection of B1-level FFL textbooks as an indication of how these materials address the potential sensitivities of the Other. We will also assess, based on feedback from our students, whether such caution is indeed warranted. Do these textbooks accurately convey the target culture, considering that engaging with the Other entails understanding and tolerating their unique characteristics? Furthermore, do these textbooks serve as an effective introduction to students’ future encounters with the target country? Our survey reveals that, for most students, preserving classroom harmony takes precedence over being exposed to more authentic content. This finding indirectly suggests that students are mindful of cultural idiosyncrasies and are considerate of the needs and sensitivities of others.
This study presents the results of an acoustic analysis of vowels produced by L1-German speakers learning Czech as a foreign language and provides a brief overview of vowel behaviour in Czech and German. The analysed vowels are /a aː ɪ iː u uː/ in Czech disyllabic words, and the speakers are eight women with varying levels of proficiency. Vocalic formants F1 and F2 were analysed, and the differences in formant values between long and short vowels were calculated. Furthermore, vowel duration was measured, and differences between the durations of long and short vowels were assessed. The results are compared with reference values for female native speakers of Czech and German and indicate that speakers in the present study do not sufficiently distinguish between short and long vowels in Czech. Additionally, the absolute vowel durations observed in this study are longer than the reference values for Czech speakers.
This study analyzes speech tempo and pause variability in two speaking styles: read-aloud news and semi-spontaneous self-introductions. Recordings of 10 non-professional Czech female speakers were examined for speech rate, articulation rate, and pauses. Results show that the read-aloud news were significantly faster, with a higher tempo and lower pause volume. While within-genre variability in the news was observed, the introductions exhibited greater inter-speaker variation, particularly in pausing. A speaker’s tempo in one style did not strongly predict their tempo in the other. These findings underscore the role of speaking style in shaping the temporal characteristics of speech.
This paper presents Prak, a forced alignment tool developed for Czech, with a focus on transparent modular design and phonetic accuracy. In addition to a rule-based pronunciation module and exception handling, Prak introduces a novel application of non-deterministic, backward-processing FSTs to model complex regressive assimilation processes in Czech consonant clusters. We further describe the integration of a HuBERT-based transformer model and training including extensive manually time-aligned data to enhance phone classification accuracy while maintaining ease of installation and use. Evaluation against a manually aligned test corpus demonstrates that the enhanced model significantly outperforms both our earlier Prak-CV model and the long-established previous forced alignment baseline. The new model reduces major boundary errors and mismatches, bringing alignment accuracy closer to manual phonetic segmentation standards for Czech. We emphasize both methodological transparency and practical usability, aiming to support phoneticians working with Czech as well as developers interested in extending the tool for other languages.
This article features two in-depth interviews with long-time phoneticians, Bernd Möbius and Zdena Palková, who reflect on their careers and the changes they have witnessed in the field. Although their professional paths differ widely – from speech technology to speech on the stage, among others – both scholars share a strong connection to the core methods and questions of phonetics. The interviews touch on the development of the phonetic sciences over several decades, discussing shifts in research focus, academic culture, and international collaboration. By taking an open-ended, conversational approach, the interviews reveal not only the interviewees’ scientific insights but also personal experiences, motivations, and views on the future of the discipline. The article highlights the value of interviews as a complementary format for documenting the history and diversity of phonetic research.
This research is focused on changes of voice and the voice quality before radiotherapy treatment and in time of one year after external radiotherapy (RT) in the neck area of Czech patients and to compare measurement for different subgroups of patients (by age, gender, surgical resection, aphonia, etc.). The perceptual test was performed on 16 patients undergoing external radiotherapy in the neck area and the changes of voice and the voice quality compared at before RT and 1, 6 and 12 months after RT. 2 clinicians and 1 trained voice specialist evaluated GIRBAS parameters of the voice quality and 96 lay listeners evaluated the scope of change of voice. The results of perceptual tests of lay listeners point to the difference of change in voice is the most pronounced in patients who had aphonia during the RT. Of the GIRBAS parameters, instability and roughness changed the most after RT treatment.
This study examines the phonetic and phonological properties of singleton–geminate contrasts in Dogri within the context where the preceding vowel is short, i.e. in CVCV: word structures. Linear Mixed-Effects (LMER) statistical results reveal that geminates are temporally nearly twice as long as their singleton counterparts (~ 70 ms), followed by consistent shortening of the preceding vowel (~ 16 ms). The remaining segments, i.e., the word-initial consonant and the word-final vowel, remain indiscriminable across both word types, suggesting no anticipatory lengthening in geminate contexts for the former, and minor shortening (but statistically non-significant) among geminates for the latter. Additional findings regarding voicing effects, phrase-level context, and overall word duration for both word types confirm cross-linguistic voicing trends: voiceless geminates are longer with added evidence of pre-consonantal vowel shortening relative to their voiced counterparts. Moreover, geminates show significantly longer durations in Fixed Phrase contexts than in Carrier Phrase. Lastly, the longer total word duration for geminates (~ 53 ms) suggests that gemination in Dogri extends beyond a local phonetic phenomenon, bearing a distinctive prosodic and phonological weight. These results posit the view that temporal elongation reflects their status as phonologically contrastive units, rather than being a by-product of durational redistribution of the segments.
Massive Open and Online Courses (MOOCs) are a valuable contemporary learning resource, and they can be used to promote intelligibility in L2 English pronunciation instruction and learning. Learner reactions to such resources, e.g., in surveys, focus group discussions, comments related to MOOC exercises, etc., potentially reflect their broad language ideology. To this end, we analysed user comments from the MOOC English Pronunciation in a Global World (EPGW) created by Laura Rupp in 2019, focusing on users from Central and South America. This is an under-researched region where three pluricentric languages with different statuses co-exist (Spanish, Portuguese and English), and with a long history of population flows for employment and education. Users’ comments from the seven runs of the MOOC reveal how they perceive the notions of fluency and intelligibility, simultaneously providing insights into their aspirations and goals, and thus filling a gap in the research.
The study deals with accentuation (presence or absence of realized lexical stress) of modal verbs in continuous spoken texts. The material was taken from audiobooks where Czech professional actors (8 male + 8 female) read out various narratives produced by renowned authors. A corpus of over 17,000 words was used. The recordings were annotated with special attention to presence or absence of materialized stress (i.e., accent). The chief purpose of the study was to provide descriptive data on modal verbs in connected speech, namely in the genre of narrative monologue. The results showed that modal verbs were deaccented in more than a quarter of their occurrences, but that monosyllabic and polysyllabic verbs behaved differently from each other. The infinitives associated with modal were also inspected. They were much less often unaccented and, importantly, the influence of monosyllabicity followed a different pattern than in modals. Additionally, information on mutual position of modals and associated infinitives is provided and an observation of negative forms of modals is made. The data can be further used in follow-up research to find out how structural and communicative requirements interact to produce the actual prosodic forms, or how modals in narratives differ from those in other communicative genres.
Many phonetic “truths” are based on descriptions of controlled speech material, and verifying their validity in spontaneous productions is essential. The present study investigates vowel duration as an acoustic correlate of stress in spontaneous English, in communicatively motivated contexts. By analyzing British and American political debates, this study aims to verify previously reported tendencies – specifically, that stressed vowels are significantly longer than unstressed ones. Our analysis of 16 speakers, based on linear mixed effects models, confirms the significant effect of stress on vowel duration and also considers additional factors influencing segmental duration like vowel length, phrase-final position, vowel height, or the nature of the following segment. In addition to stress, multiple regression analysis identifies vowel length, phrase-final position and vowel height as the most influential vowel duration predictors. Despite the variability of spontaneous speech, vowel duration proves to be a reliable correlate of stress, supporting the findings from controlled-speech research.
This study investigates how prosodic features reflect information structure and poetic organization during oral poetry performance. Specifically, we examined how repetition and structural position influence articulation rate (AR) and pause duration in spoken verse. Thirty-two native Czech speakers read three structurally comparable poems aloud, each differing in the presence and distribution of repeated lines. Poem 1 served as a baseline, containing no repetition; Poem 2 included a fully repeated final stanza; and Poem 3 featured repeated distichs within each stanza. Results showed that repeated lines (given information) were delivered at faster and more consistent rates than non-repeated lines (new information). Across poems with repetition, a gradual tempo decline followed by a tempo reset was observed, suggesting a strategic use of tempo modulation to signal textual recurrence. Additionally, pause duration reliably marked structural boundaries, with the longest pauses at stanza breaks. Discrepancies between syllabic and phonemic AR further highlighted the influence of phonotactic variability. Overall, the findings demonstrate that speakers intentionally manipulate prosodic timing to convey both informational and structural cues, enhancing listener comprehension of poetic form.
The article introduces a method of normalising the inherent durational properties of phones (the LARometer), providing a relative measure of local articulation rate (LAR). It allows for the quantification of the communicatively relevant variations in articulation rate and their visualisation in temporal contours. The normalisation is based on an extensive manually annotated corpus containing over four hours of continuous speech. The usage of the LARometer is illustrated with two studies. Study 1 identifies locally decelerated content words in Czech radio news reading. These decelerated words often had prominent functions in the information structure (rheme, contrastive topic). The results also indicated that deceleration affects various parts of words. Study 2 focuses on phone reductions in television political debates. The reductions were predominantly observed in content words, but function words were affected to greater extent. Also, considerable differences in the number of reductions were found between individual speakers.
Book review on Mária Koscelníková (2024) Lokalizácia videohier na Slovensku. Nitra: Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre
This paper explores the evolving landscape of second language (L2) translation competence in the context of technological advancements, particularly the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models. It addresses the growing need for L2 translation in response to globalization, the prominence of English as a global lingua franca, and market demands. The paper critically examines traditional views on directionality, notably the native-speaker principle, and explores how translator training must adapt to equip students with both linguistic and technological competences. A key focus is the integration of translation technologies, such as neural machine translation and GenAI, into translator training programs. It emphasizes the importance of developing critical digital literacy, ethical awareness, and adaptability, alongside traditional linguistic skills. The paper also offers practical training strategies and classroom activities to foster L2 translation competence, encouraging students to engage critically with technological tools while preserving the communicative intent of the text. In conclusion, the paper advocates for a dynamic, integrative approach to translation competence that prepares future professionals to navigate and leverage technological innovations in the translation field.
