Lead paragraphs of French and Turkish news items: Insights for French language learners

Abstract

This study compared French and Turkish news items related to road accidents, specifically focusing on lead paragraphs. It aimed to provide insights for Turkish speakers learning French about reading comprehension and written expression at A2 and B1 levels. Data were collected from five newspapers in each country. French news items and Turkish news items showed similarities in word count but differed significantly in sentence and clause structures. French paragraphs tended to have longer single sentences with fewer clauses, while Turkish paragraphs had shorter sentences with more clauses. The study also explored the inclusion of informational components in lead paragraphs, such as accident scenes, types of vehicles, information about victims, circumstances of the accident, and casualty data. Results revealed variations between the two languages, emphasizing the importance of including information about casualties in lead paragraphs for effective communication in both languages.