Problems and perspectives : studies in the modern French language

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Cover Half Title Title Copyright Contents Preface Publisher's Acknowledgements Part I: Preliminaries Section 1 French: standards and variation 1.1 What is 'French' ? 1.2 Parameters of variation 1.2.1 Written and spoken French 1.2.2 Register 1.2.3 Field, domain or discourse type 1.2.4 Geographical variation 1.2.5 Age, sex and socio-economic status (SES) Section 2 Introduction to the description of French: definitions and metalanguage 2.1 The Sounds of French 2.1.1 Syllable structure 2.1.2 Rhythmic groups 2.1.3 Consonants 2.1.4 Vowels 2.1.5 Semivowels 2.2 Morphology 2.3 Syntax 2.3.1 Syntax and the verb system 2.3.2 Word order 2.3.3 Subordination and coordination 2.3.4 Textual cohesion 2.4 Lexis 2.4.1 Derivational processes 2.4.2 Composition 2.4.3 Abbreviation 2.4.4 Semantic change 2.4.5 Borrowing Section 3 Approaches and schools 3.1 A multiplicity of approaches ... 3.2 Structuralism 3.2.1 Phonology 3.2.2 Morphology 3.2.3 Syntax 3.3 Generative grammar 3.3.1 Introduction 3.3.2 Generative syntax and its place in the grammar 3.3.3 Generative phonology 3.3.4 Autosegmental phonology 3.3.5 Morphology m generative grammar 3.4 Other approaches to the analysis of French 3.4.1 Typological models of change 3.4.2 Language in use 3.5 Variationist approaches 3.6 National French approaches 3.6.1 Guillaume and the Guiiiaumeans 3.6.2 L'Approche pronominale Section 4 Choice of topics and approaches Part II: Issues Chapter 1 Word-final consonants 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The problem in detail 1.3 Orthographically based accounts of liaison 1.4 Theoretical accounts of word-final consonants 1.4.1 The phonemic perspective 1.4.2 Generative phonology 1.4.2.1 Abstract generative phonology 1.4.2.2 Concrete generative phonology 1.4.3 Non-linear phonology 1.5 Liaison and syntax 1.6 Variationist analyses of liaison Chapter 2 Nasal vowels 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The history of nasal vowels 2.2.1 Textual evidence 2.2.2 Phonetic explanations 2.3 Structuralist accounts: the phonemic status of nasal vowels 2.4 Generative and post-generative accounts of the nasal vowels 2.4.1 Nasal vowels in abstract generative phonology 2.4.1.1 Alternating forms 2.4.1.2 Non-alternating forms 2.4.2 Nasal vowels in concrete generative phonology 2.4.2.1 Non-alternating forms 2.4.2.2 Alternating form 2.4.3 A non-linear proposal 2.5 Nasal vowels and liaison 2.6 Nasal vowels in southern French Chapter 3 Schwa: a maverick vowel 3.1 Introduction: 'Qu'est-ce que le "e muet"?' (Martinet (1974a)) 3.2 Terminology 3.3 The phonetic identity of schwa 3.4 The variable phonological behaviour of schwa 3.4.1 The data 3.4.2 Descriptive accounts 3.5 The phonemic identity of schwa 3.6 Schwa ~ zero alternation: epenthesis versus deletion 3.6.1 Schwa ~ zero alternation as deletion 3.6.2 Schwa ~ zero alternation as epenthesis 3.6.3 The special case of word-final schwa 3.7 Non-linear accounts of schwa ~ zero alternation 3.8 Changing patterns of schwa ~ zero alternation 3.8.1 Word-initial schwa: stabilization in progress? 3.8.2 Change in non-initial schwa Chapter 4 Verb morphology: conjugation classes and the definiton of regularity 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Preliminaries: segmentation 4.2.1 Problems of segmentation 4.2.2 Stem and ending versus stem, infix and ending 4.3 Classification into verb conjugation classes: desiderata 4.4 Traditional classifications 4.5 Stem-based models 4.6 'Two-class' models 4.7 Defining irregularity 4.8 Variation and change Chapter 5 Aspect in French 5.1 Introduction: tense versus aspect 5.2 Aspectual categories and distinctions 5.3 Lexical versus grammatical aspect 5.4 Approaches to aspect in French 5.4.1 Introduction 5.4.2 Brunot (1922) 5.4.3 Guillaume (1929, 1964) 5.4.4 Imbs (1960) 5.4.5 Reid (1970) 5.4.6 Martin (1971) 5.4.7 Wilmet (1991, 1995, 1997) 5.4.8 General issues 5.5 Applications of the notion of aspect 5.5.1 Introduction 5.5.2 Diachronic phenomena 5.5.3 Aspectual concepts 5.5.4 Aspect and discourse-pragmatics Chapter 6 Past tenses: complex and changing relationships 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The passé simple/passé composé relationship: a complex history 6.2.1 The development of the compound tenses 6.2.2 'Functional multiplicity' in the Old French period 6.2.3 Developments in Middle French, and Early Modern analyses 6.3 The passé composé/passé simple in Modern French: changing relationships 6.3.1 Introduction 6.3.2 Two 'textual' models 6.3.3 Passé simple/passé composé alternation 6.3.4 The PS as story marker? 6.3.5 The PC: a semantic hybrid? 6.4 The Imperfect 6.4.1 Diachronic perspectives 6.4.2 Developments in Modern French 6.4.2.1 Analysis of the imperfect 6.4.2.2 Discourse-pragmatic developments 6.5 Past in the past: plus-que-parfait, passé antérieur and passé surcomposé 6.5.1 Diachronic perspectives 6.5.2 Developments in Modern French 6.5.2.1 The pluperfect 6.5.2.2 The past anterior 6.5.2.3 The passé surcomposé Chapter 7 Mood and modality: the French subjunctive 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Explaining the use of the subjunctive 7.2.1 The French subjunctive: several 'values' or a unified account? 7.2.2 Formal or mechanical approaches 7.2.3 Other approaches 7.3 Problematic cases 7.3.1 Noun clauses 7.3.2 Adjectival clauses 7.4 The vitality of the subjunctive 7.4.1 The history of the subjunctive 7.4.2 The vitality of the subjunctive in Modern French 7.4.3 The-vitality of the subjunctive and variation 7.4.3.1 Written and spoken French 7.4.3.2 SES and register 7.4.3.3 Geographic variation 7.4.4 The imperfect subjunctive 7.4.5 Alternative markers of modality Chapter 8 Pronominal verbs 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Pronominal verbs and voice 8.2.1 How many voices for French? 8.2.2 Guillaume 8.2.3 Generative approaches to voice 8.3 The classification of pronominal verbs 8.3.1 Fourfold schemes 8.3.1.1 Danereau's tradition 8.3.1.2 Subcategorizing the pronominaux subjectifs 8.3.2 Problems with differentiating the categories 8.3.3 Alternative classifications 8.3.4 Unified explanations 8.4 The pronominal passive 8.4.1 Constraints on the usage of the pronominal passive 8.4.2 Limits on the usage of the 'true' passive 8.4.2.1 Syntactic constraints 8.4.2.2 Lexical constraints 8.4.2.3 Semantic constraints 8.4.2.4 Aspectual questions 8.4.3 Reasons for selecting the 'true' passive 8.4.4 Other alternatives to the passive Chapter 9 Declarative word order: French as an SVO language 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Historical analyses 9.2.1 The data 9.2.2 Traditional analyses 9.2.3 Typological approaches 9.2.4 Marchello-Nizia (1995): the role of the object 9.2.5 Examples 9.3 Modern French as an SVO language 9.3.1 The data: statistics and corpora 9.3.2 A fixed excention 9.3.3 Detachment 9.3.3.1 The data 9.3.3.2 Problematic issues 9.3.3.3 Discourse function 9.3.3.4 Stylistic factors 9.3.3.5 Sociolingmstic factors 9.3.3.6 Theoretical implications and further questions 9.3.4 Inversion 9.3.5 Cleft constructions 9.3.6 Binary constructions 9.3.7 Other constructions 9.4 Conclusions Chapter 10 Relations between clauses: subordination, coordination, parataxis 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Relations within the sentence: questions of definition 10.2.1 Introduction 10.2.2 Defining subordination 10.2.3 Subordinating and coordinating conjunctions, and coordinating adverbs 10.3 Spoken French: a case study of the relative du français populaire 10.4 Relations within discourse: parataxis, coordination and subordination as degrees of progression in lingustic sophistication? 10.4.1 Language acquisition 10.4.2 Social groups 10.4.3 Medium/discourse type Chapter 11 Negation 11.1 Introduction 11.1.1 The nature of the component elements 11.2 Scope 11.2.1 Scope and context 11.2.2 Negative raising? 11.3 Ne ... que and expletive ne 11.3.1 Ne. .. que 11.3.2 Expletive ne 11.3.2.1 Usage of expletive ne 11.3.2.2 The value and currency of expletive ne 11.3.2.3 Ne alone to mark negation 11.4 The loss of ne and the marking of negation by pas alone 11.4.1 The historical background 11.4.2 Factors influencing the use or non-use of ne in contemporary French 11.4.2.1 Syntactic factors 11.4.2.2 Phonetic factors 11.4.2.3 Semantic factors 11.4.2.4 Frequently used expressions 11.4.2.5 Stylistic factors 11.4.2.6 Demographic factors: region, SES, and age 11.4.3 Other examples of the rise of pas Chapter 12 Neologisms: internal versus external factors 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Definitional questions and statistics 12.2.1 What is a borrowing? 12.2.2 Types of borrowing 12.2.3 Statistical considerations 12.3 The linguistic integration of borrowings 12.3.1 Phonological integration 12.3.1.1 The issues 12.3.1.2 The implications 12.3.2 Morpho-syntactic integration 12.3.3 Semantic integration 12.4 'Hybrids' and pseudo-anglicism 12.5 The status of Latin (and Greek) material 12.6 Attitudes towards borrowing Chapter 13 'Internal' processes of word creation in French 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Definitional issues 13.2.1 Neologisms 13.2.2 Suffixes and prefixes 13.2.3 Prefixes and compounds - problematic distinctions 13.2.4 Identifying compounds 13.2.5 Recomposés 13.2.6 Compounds versus free combinations 13.2.7 Compounds and phrases 13.3 Productivity 13.3.1 Variation 13.3.2 Language change 13.3.3 Linguistic constraints 13.4 Neologisms and linguistic theory 13.5 The impact of internal lexical creation on French 13.5.1 Semantic complexities 13.5.2 Morphosyntactic complexities: compounds and abbreviations 13.5.3 Phonological complexities References Index of Concepts Index of Names