French: 7–10 Sequence / Levels 9 and 10 / Understanding / Language variation and change
Content description
Understand the symbolic nature of language in local and global contexts
Elaborations
identifying the function and power of cultural expressions such as stories, symbols, icons and anthems, for example, le tricolore, la Marseillaise, le fleur de lys, the Dreamtime, Aboriginal and Australian flags
considering how language marks respect, values and attitudes, and includes and excludes, for example, the language of law and medicine, the (changing) gendered nature of some professional titles in French (un médecin, un chef, une professeure), and access to community information for second language speakers
reflecting on the power of language in relation to own and others’ experience, for example, winning an argument or working out the meaning of unfamiliar French words; being locked out of conversations, or being a newcomer or an outsider in a social group
