Writing in your second language can be tricky! Each language has its own stylistic preferences, and you need to remember them if you want your writing to sound natural.
If French is your second language, read on to find out how you can use subordination and articulation to make your writing in French more idiomatic.
What English prefers: coordination and juxtaposition
For Anglophones, sentences like the ones below are very natural:
Leave your books at the front of the room and sit down. You don’t want to be accused of cheating on the exam!
That’s because they illustrate the English preferences for coordination and juxtaposition.
Coordination
In coordination, the writer uses coordinating conjunctions (opens in new tab) (in English: “for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet” and “so,” remembered by the acronym FANBOYS) to join ideas in a sentence. The ideas are of equal value—neither is more important than the other. In the example above, the ideas in the first sentence are joined with the coordinating conjunction “and.”
Juxtaposition
In juxtaposition, the writer places ideas or sentences in sequence one after another. The relationships between them are not explicitly expressed, and the reader has to infer how they’re connected. In the example above, the connection between the two sentences isn’t stated. We infer that if the students keep their books with them, it may look like they’re cheating on the exam.
What French prefers: subordination and articulation
Although coordination and juxtaposition are used in French, writing that relies on them too often will sound less natural. That’s for two reasons. First, French prefers to make the relationships between ideas inside sentences explicit by using subordinating conjunctions (opens in new tab) or other subordinators. This is called subordination. Second, French uses connectors to clearly show the relationships between ideas or sentences in a text as a whole. This is called articulation.
In Thinking French Translation, Sandór Hervey and Ian Higgins write that “English often prefers coordination where French prefers subordination.” They go on to say that “it is more common in French than in English for texts to be explicitly structured with connectors . . . that signpost the logical relationship between sentences.”
But what are subordination and juxtaposition?
Subordination
Subordination creates a hierarchy of ideas within a sentence. In a subordinated sentence, the main idea is in a grammatically complete structure that’s called an independent clause. The secondary idea is in a grammatically incomplete structure. That structure is called a subordinate or dependent clause. A sentence can contain more than one secondary idea and therefore more than one subordinate clause.
A secondary idea is joined to the main idea by means of a subordinator (opens in new tab) (in French only). Some examples of subordinating conjunctions in French are pendant que, pour que, and si. Because French prefers subordination, it’s very common to see longer sentences that contain several ideas connected by subordinating conjunctions.
In the French example below, the subordinating conjunction shows that the main idea is in the first part of the sentence.
Leave your books at the front of the room and sit down. [coordinating conjunction]
Veuillez déposer vos livres à l’avant de la classe avant de vous asseoir. [subordinating conjunction]
Articulation
In articulation, the writer uses connectors (opens in new tab) (in French only), also called linking words, to show how ideas in a text relate to each other. Some examples of connectors in French are par ailleurs, par conséquent and toutefois. Because French prefers articulation, it’s very common to see many connectors in French writing.
In the French example below, the connector après tout makes the connection between the two sentences clearer.
Leave your books at the front of the room and sit down. You don’t want to be accused of cheating on the exam! [juxtaposition]
Veuillez déposer vos livres à l’avant de la classe avant de vous asseoir. Après tout, vous ne voudriez pas qu’on vous accuse de tricher! [articulation]
Tips for writing more natural-sounding French
Follow these tips to help you use more subordination and articulation when you’re writing in French.
- Write longer sentences that contain more than one idea.
- Use subordinating conjunctions to make it clear which part of a sentence contains the main idea. You may need to change the order of things around in your sentence.
- Use connectors to make the relationship between ideas and sentences obvious.
As we’ve just seen, English generally prefers coordination and juxtaposition to express relationships between ideas and sentences in a text. In contrast, French tends to prefer subordination and articulation.
So why not use more subordination and articulation in your writing in French so that it sounds more natural and idiomatic?
Our challenge for you: Read an article in French and look for examples of subordination and articulation. You could even try reading the French version of this post (opens in new tab)!
Sources
View sources
- Alloprof
- Canada. Translation Bureau. Clés de la rédaction.
- Canada. Translation Bureau. Writing Tips Plus.
- Delisle, Jean. La traduction raisonnée. Manuel d’initiation à la traduction professionnelle de l’anglais vers le français. 3rd ed. Ottawa: Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa, 2013.
- Hervey, Sándor and Ian Higgins. Thinking French Translation—A Course in Translation Method: French to English. 2nd ed. Abingdon (UK): Routledge, 2002.
- Peck, Frances. “Controlling emphasis: Coordination and subordination,” Peck’s English Pointers, February 28, 2020.
- Vinay, Jean-Paul, and Jean Darbelnet. Stylistique comparée du français et de l’anglais. Méthode de traduction. Laval (QC): Éditions Beauchemin, 1958, reprinted 1999.
- Vinay, Jean-Paul, and Jean Darbelnet. Comparative Stylistics of French and English: A Methodology for Translation. Trans. and edited by Juan C. Sager and M.-J. Hamel. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1995.
