Language didactics and language teaching since 1945 – the French way

Abstract The following article addresses epistemological and terminological issues regarding Didactique des langues [language didactics] in France, including teaching methods, curricular developments, and research priorities. Why do the French, among other Europeans, keep on labelling “didactique des langues” what is also known as Second Language Teaching and Learning (SLTL), even though the English translation, “language didactics”, is hardly found in anglophone scientific literature? As for the very word “didacticien.ne” [didactician], so often used in France, it seems inexistent in English, often translated as “teaching expert” or “educational specialist”. Still, to what extent do these signifiers convey the same signified? How did the research area develop in France? The purpose of this paper is to research and make more visible the historical and scientific foundations of “didactique des langues “ and more precisely of “didactique de l’anglais“ in the French context. First, our analysis will borrow from educational sciences and focus on the term “Didactics” as opposed to “pedagogy”, and explain the concept of “didactology” developed by Galisson (2002), Coste and Puren (1999). We will also elaborate on the specific meaning of “didactique des langues”, “didactique des langues-cultures” in connection with other European traditions and Anglo-American terminology. Then, we will adopt an epistemological stance and briefly outline the history of the concept of “didactique de l’anglais”, with an overview of language teaching in relation to founding theories. Finally, we will present the evolution of French contemporary research.