This article examines how the uses of a series of common everyday French words present in the specialized vocabulary of music (battre, mesure, levée, attaque, accord, clé, portée) can be understood within the broader context of their other meanings; they can be analyzed as variations stemming from the semantic identity underlying all their uses. This paper is based on the hypothesis that it is possible to establish a unified characterization for each word, thus producing its identity, conceived as an organizing center of all the semantic variations conventionally regarded as its polysemy.
This article argues against a clear-cut distinction between a compositional and a non-compositional version of the Italian [andare a + infinitive] construction, the latter here qualified as semi-compositional. Grammaticalization and semantic bleaching of andare are shown to be never complete, so that andare ceasing to be a full motion verb becomes a semi-auxiliary ; as such, its movement feature is maintained, albeit iconically (or metaphorically) by expressing abstract/fictive motion. Aspectually, this construction mainly serves to highlight the initial stage of the infinitival process, but often as a culminative outcome. It is here claimed that this construction is sometimes motivated by the heuristic status of the subject, i.e. a significant property of its referent explaining the (possible) realization of the infinitival process, this also claimed to be the major semantic feature of the passive construction « andare a + past participle ».
This article is devoted to the analysis of grammatical gender assignment to English loanwords in French. The first part of the article summarizes the theoretical background: the category of grammatical gender in French is described and the studies aimed at distinguishing formal and semantic criteria influencing the gender assignment in French are summarized. The second part of the article presents the results of the author’s own quantitative and qualitative study of English loanwords with food in the corpus FrenchWeb 2023. The results show that loanwords often exhibit substantial variability in grammatical gender assignment, and the factors influencing gender assignment are multifaceted, but among them semantics play an important role.
The modal and the verbal form of NEED are usually regarded as semantically identical, the difference being that with the modal the necessity originates with the utterer (subjective) whereas with the verbal form it is external to the utterer (objective) but without explaining it. A rapid survey of some examples shows that both the verb and the modal can be found when the presence of the utterer is explicitly marked or not, with all forms and with all personal subjects. The reason for the use of one or the other form must therefore be found elsewhere. A closer scrutiny of the examples shows that a causal/consequential link is always to be found with the verb. It can be explicitly or implicitly marked. Thus, the verbal form will be used each time the utterer can assert the reality of what is said.On the contrary, with the modal form, a pre-constructed value, opposite to that used by the utterer, can always be traced. 1This shows that the utterer works with both values of the predicative relation (positive and negative) at the same time and therefore cannot assert one even if he chooses it. This pre-constructed value is either explicit or implicit.In this paper I intend to show that the use of the modal or the verbal form is not an arbitrary choice of the utterer but depends on the context which calls for one form or the other.
The transition from print to digital has transformed lexicographic practices by enabling rapid updating of content, but it raises issues regarding data permanence and the documentation of recent language change. This article examines the capacity of Quebec born-digital dictionaries to serve as lasting witnesses to linguistic heritage in a context of continuous update without access to archived version history. Based on a metalexicographic study of the description of 22 English loanwords in Usito and Antidote, made possible by access to partial successive versions, the analysis reveals otherwise invisible modifications to the entries. It underscores the need for versioning of born-digital dictionaries and shows that the lack of access to their archives limits their value as a research tool while obscuring recent linguistic changes.
This article examines dictionary use by Quebec journalists based on the traces they leave in their articles (2010-2025). The results show that the French dictionaries Larousse and Robert still largely dominate, even for questions related to Quebec French. However, journalists are aware that the norms surrounding Anglicisms and inclusive/feminized writing are not the same in France and Quebec, and they consult more Quebec sources on these issues. The Usito dictionary has not yet gained traction with journalists, who mostly turn to the Office québécois de la langue française for Quebec tools. Journalists do not mention using non-professional dictionaries, but the content of the free Larousse and Robert websites is confusing, as journalists have no way of knowing that these are not the Petit Larousse and Petit Robert. The myth of the "dictionary" persists: many cite "the dictionary" without further explanation.
This study investigates the use, behaviors, and perceptions of digital lexical resources among 45 English-speaking university students learning French as a second language in British Columbia. Data were collected through a questionnaire and a bidirectional translation task followed by a post-task survey. Results show extensive reliance on digital tools, with smartphones as the primary device. Participants use a hybrid lexical ecosystem combining online dictionaries, machine translation tools, and bilingual example databases. Consultations focus mainly on meaning, usage examples, and spelling, while more specialized information is less frequently accessed. Despite high overall satisfaction, recurring difficulties include selecting appropriate meanings in polysemous contexts and interpreting idiomatic expressions. The findings highlight a pragmatic and efficiency-driven use of lexical resources. They also emphasize the importance of explicit training in the strategic and critical use of digital tools, particularly in minority FSL contexts.
Through a manual qualitative analysis of revisions made to a selection of the French edition of Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) definitions, this article investigates the nature of interaction among contributors as well as the lexicographical processes at play. The aim is to address the following research questions: To what extent is the writing process collaborative? When it is, does collaboration lead to improved definition quality? The first stage of the study consists in developing a typology of revisions and annotating each modification to a definition. The second phase, based on these annotations, seeks to identify patterns of collaboration (such as refinement, rewriting, or conflict) and to determine whether these interactions lead to observable improvements in the definitions. Several conclusions emerge from the analysis: Wiktionary cannot, due to a lack of explicit coordination and communication, be considered truly collaborative; a large diversity of contributors does not guarantee either collaboration or the quality of descriptions; the shortcomings of Wiktionnaire largely mirror those observed in traditional dictionaries; for collaboration to yield a qualitative improvement, it would likely require greater coordination and communication among Wiktionnaire contributors.
This article analyzes the lexicographic treatment of lexemes referring to social phenomena related to vulnerable social groups in institutional dictionaries (Petit Robert, Petit Larousse illustré, Usito) and in the collaborative online dictionary Wiktionnaire. The analysis of microagression, visibiliser, féminicide, masculinisme, and LGBT(QIA+) highlights tensions between descriptive aims and ideological stakes, as well as discrepancies between definitions, examples, and usage labels. While traditional dictionaries tend to neutralize the potential conflictuality of these lexemes at the definitional level, they appear to reintroduce it in other parts of the microstructure. By contrast, the collaborative nature of Wiktionnaire makes the processes of discursive negotiation among contributors more visible. These findings invite us to reconsider the role of dictionaries as spaces for regulating social debates.
This article examines the collaborative dimensions of the COST Action ENEOLI (European Network on Lexical Innovation), focusing on the development of an online multilingual dictionary devoted to the metalanguage of neology. Building on a historical and theoretical survey of lexicographic collaboration, it presents the various forms of cooperation implemented throughout the creation of this glossary, which is still under development. The study addresses, in particular, the stages of corpus compilation and processing, the validation of the terms of neology by domain experts, the establishment of interlinguistic equivalences, and the drafting of glosses intended to clarify key concepts. Finally, the article highlights the main methodological and conceptual challenges inherent in conducting collaborative and interdisciplinary work within the framework of a COST Action.
In 2024, a controversy erupted around the word Keb, introducing this neologism, an apocope of the word Québécois, to the Quebec public in a negative light. Is it the word itself that carries a derogatory connotation, or is it the cited context that conveyed contempt? This article explores the word keb (also spelled queb), practically absent from online dictionaries, yet present in the Quebec press, especially in cultural contexts, since the turn of the 21st century. Using a corpus of journalistic texts, we analyze the denotations and connotations associated with this word and conclude by offering a comprehensive description of the written usage of a word that originated in informal spoken language.
The article explores the behaviour of online dictionary users, particularly their use of search engines as a means of accessing these resources. It analyses the reasons behind linguistic queries, which are often triggered by social, mediatic or cultural events. It appears that a number of search trends are influenced by criteria such as the opacity of terms, the tension associated with the event, salience, virality, controversy and media exposure. Through numerous concrete examples, the study shows how words can spark collective interest. Search peaks reveal social and linguistic trends, offering a unique perspective on the uses and concerns of speakers. This data allows lexicographers to tailor their content to users' needs, while taking into account the social context and the flow of events that affect the course of language.
This article is part of a series of studies on contemporary developments in French general lexicography of French. It is the second part of a diptych that analyses in contrast current printed and digital offers of general dictionaries, focusing on the specific characteristics of each. For the former, it is its commercial nature, which is the necessary condition for its existence and dissemination, and also the source of its stratified structure. For the latter, these are its unstructured fragmentation and the radical changes in access to metalinguistic information on lexical items, that lead in various ways to a dilution, or even a dissolution, of dictionaries as distinct, identified and structured entities. The ways in which speakers seeking metalinguistic information on lexical items can bypass dictionary interfaces, the interference affecting the identity of dictionaries in the digital environment and the disruptions affecting dictionary structures are successively considered.
This article examines the discursive functions of the discourse marker ouais when it appears in different syntactic positions in two excerpts from the MPF (Multicultural Paris French) spontaneous speech corpus. This study first distinguishes between the uses of ouais as a discourse marker and as a non-marker. It then analyzes its recurring syntactic positions, explores its discursive functions, and examines, through quantitative analysis, any correlations between discursive functions and syntactic positions. The analysis reveals that ouais does not appear randomly in the syntagmatic chain of discourse. We observe a significant recurrence of its opening topological position and a notable link between its discursive function and its syntactic position.
Derived from a spatial value, then extended to a temporal value before acquiring other values, in particular contrastive ones, “après” constitutes a complex discourse marker (DM). This article examines the temporal and contrastive readings of “après” in relation to its syntactic position. The initial hypothesis posits that the temporal value allows for variable positions within the syntactic unit, while the contrastive value favors an initial position. The analysis is based on a sample of 360 occurrences extracted from the data used in the CODIM project, which we annotated according to two dimensions. : position in the predicative unit and use (temporal or contrastive). The trends observed are described and discussed. Although the hypothesis cannot be confirmed quantitatively, the results obtained tend to support it.
The aim of this study is to analyze the functioning of two-word combinations: enfin quoi and voilà quoi. The data analysis is based on two corpora: Frantext and CFPP 2000. We find that enfin quoi and voilà quoi have different syntactic topologies, i.e. different locations in relation to predicative units, which are considered to be fundamental units of discourse. Enfin quoi is most often in the front position, while voilà quoi is mainly in the end position. The semantic-pragmatic values of these two groups are also different.
The aim of this article is to explore the role of discourse markers in discourse segmentation. It shows that these markers contribute to the distinction of discourse units by being placed preferably at their boundaries. It is based on a transcription of approximately 13,000 words taken from the CFPP and aims to quantify the presence of discourse markers at the beginning of autonomous predicative units (UPA). It shows that almost half of verbal predicative units are introduced by discourse markers. Furthermore, two-thirds of the uses of discourse markers that occur at least once at the beginning of a UPA are found before a verbal UPA. Some of them can initiate predicative unit structures after the item que, which highlights the tendency of que to lose its subordinating value in certain conjunctions (parce que). Finally, others occur before a non-verbal predicative unit (enfin, oui, ouais).
This article analyzes the adverbial segment absolument (absolutely) when used to mark the speaker’s agreement with a preceding utterance, on the basis of a corpus of 2,533,640 words drawn from the spontaneous oral corpora CFPP2000, ESLO2 and CLAPI. It shows that this use is not limited to answers to yes/no questions (Schlyter 1977), but occurs primarily following requests for confirmation or assertions. In certain configurations, absolument performs a metadiscursive affirmation based on a double reference: the uptake of a proposition P within the textual context (resumptive anaphora; Maillard 1974) and reference to an extralinguistic proposition P′, which allows P to be reinterpreted in its proper nature (mediated anaphora; Le Goffic 1993), according to the interpretive schema c’est absolument ça que P est (it is absolutely that which P is). Situated within the framework of discourse syntax (Le Goffic 1993; Tanguy 2009; Lefeuvre 1999, 2016a, 2021, 2025), this analysis shows that the status of this adverbial segment closely depends on the nature of the preceding utterance and oscillates between two realizations. It functions either as a consecutive predicative unit, when absolument operates as the reconstruction of a predicate with strong assertive force, or as a peripheral unit with an interactional scope, when it performs an intersubjective or metalinguistic validation of a resumptive type relative to the preceding predicative unit.
