French Vocabulary
Sociological Evolutions, Urbanization & Demographic Shifts
Vocabulary for migration flows, urban development, gentrification trends, and demographic shifts.
Start Interactive LessonLesson Summary
Vocabulary for migration flows, urban development, gentrification trends, and demographic shifts.
Vocabulary
Les transformations de la société
The vocabulary of civic life, social systems, and politics was introduced in social systems, civic structures & local community engagement and socio‑political systems, public administration & international relations. This lesson extends the lexicon to urbanisation, demographic change, and sociological trends. The duquel family of prepositional relatives, presented in prepositional relatives: the duquel family, is frequently used to describe the causes and circumstances of urban phenomena.
Migrations et démographie
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l'exode rural (m) | rural exodus |
| la périurbanisation | suburbanisation / peri‑urbanisation |
| la gentrification | gentrification |
| le solde migratoire | net migration |
| le solde naturel | natural population change (births minus deaths) |
| le taux de fécondité | fertility rate |
| la pyramide des âges | age pyramid |
| le vieillissement de la population | ageing population |
Urbanisme et logement
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le zonage | zoning |
| le plan local d'urbanisme (PLU) | local urban plan |
| la rénovation urbaine | urban renewal |
| le quartier prioritaire | priority neighbourhood (disadvantaged area) |
| la mixité sociale | social diversity |
| le sans‑abrisme | homelessness |
| le mal‑logement | poor housing conditions |
| la spéculation immobilière | property speculation |
| l'étalement urbain (m) | urban sprawl |
Analyser les tendances
The following expressions are common in sociological and urban analysis:
- L'exode rural a vidé les campagnes au profit des villes.
- La gentrification chasse les populations modestes des centres‑villes.
- Le solde migratoire positif compense le faible taux de natalité.
- Les pouvoirs publics peinent à lutter contre la spéculation immobilière.
- Il vaudrait mieux densifier les villes que de poursuivre l'étalement urbain. (The verb valoir and the conditional il vaudrait mieux will be studied in a subsequent lesson.)
Examples
- La gentrification du centre‑ville, à cause de laquelle de nombreux habitants ont dû partir, est un phénomène mondial.The compound preposition à cause de requires the form de laquelle (feminine singular, agreeing with gentrification). See the duquel family.
- Le solde migratoire est positif dans les grandes métropoles, mais négatif dans les zones rurales.The terms solde migratoire, métropoles, and zones rurales belong to the demographic lexicon.
Related searches
These are the main phrases this lesson covers: