Explores the hypothesis that the meaning of a word, especially a noun, relates directly to the types of relationships that the speaker has to the various referents that the word lets him construct, and that the referents have with their environment. Polysemic, metonymic, and metaphoric uses then tend to become confused with the actual lexical…

Analysis of the French verb prefix "re-" finds its occurrence characterized not, strictly speaking, by meaning but by the variety of ways in which the verb itself and its prefixed form interact. Occurrences of "re-" are classified into five categories. Verbs not compatible with the prefix and several unusual cases are also discussed. (MSE)

An explanation of the ordering and co-occurrence constraints operating within French complement clitic sequences is proposed. It is argued that these template-formed syntactic constituents result from interaction of two features in conjunction with certain phonological constraints, and that once explained, the clitic sequence can be seen as an…

It is argued that dictionary definitions of objects are enhanced by addition of usage information, sometimes idiomatic and sometimes indicating specific functions of the object. This lexical semantic approach is illustrated primarily with the example of the French word "boite." (MSE)

Positioning of negative adverbs (e.g., "mie, pas, point, jamais") in Middle and Classical French infinitival clauses is analyzed. It is proposed that, rather than linking movement of this infinitival verb to the strength of functional categories such as agreement, it be linked to parametric change in strength of the negative. (Author/MSE)

The proceedings of a 1992 French conference on the structuralist approach of linguist Lucien Tesniere are reviewed, focusing on the recent evolution of this approach in French linguistics. Topics discussed include the origins of Tesniere's theory, his model of dependency, flat phrastic structure, fusion of the lexico-semantic and lexico-syntactic…

Based on a morpho-phonological study of about 800 French adjectives ending in "-esque," this article suggests that the patterns found derive from several partially contradictory surface constraints, with the processes that would tend to eliminate dysphonic configurations (hiatus, repetition) sometimes being blocked by the need to conserve a…

Discusses the distinction between two verb types in French, suggesting that the distinction is of a fundamentally semantic, not syntactic, nature. A reexamination of the treatment given these verbs in a previous analysis is recommended. (MSE)

Analysis of French-spoken constructions in which the superlative begins the utterance, rather than occurring within the sentence, suggests that instead of being variants of standard usage, these constructions leave substantial room for interpretation of syntactic relationships. (Author/MSE)

Analysis of the quantitative metrical verse of French Renaissance poet Jean-Antoine de Baif finds that the metrics, often seen as unscannable and using an incomprehensible phonetic orthography, derive largely from a system that is accentual, with the orthography permitting the poet to encode quantitative distinctions that coincide with the meter.…

A study investigating the evolution in French of the unstressed "e" positioned between single consonants (e.g., "besoin") is presented. It is argued that stabilization of this pattern cannot be confirmed in the speech of educated Parisians but appears to be governed by sociolinguistic variables. Lexical conditioning is examined. (Author/MSE)

Certain apparently deviant, inverted forms of the French imperative (e.g. "pas touche!" for "ne touche pas!") are analyzed. A number of phonosyntactic explanations that focus on phonological order, rhythm, and intonation are examined. The strength of the imperative intention is also considered. (MSE)

An analysis of pronoun separation (dislocation) in oral French distinguishes and examines the morphosyntactic patterns of three types, focusing on the relationship between the dislocated syntagm and the clitic pronoun. Three ways to test the stability of the dislocated element are outlined. (MSE)

It is proposed that the study of the history of the French language would be enhanced by combining the methodology of linguistics with that of history proper, examining institutional, cultural, and social history as part of the evolution of a language. Distinctions between variation, innovation, shift, and change are examined. (Author/MSE)

Using extracts from a corpus of naturally occurring French conversation, this study examines how the collaborative construction of episodes of shared laughter contributes to the achievement of affiliation between interlocutors. Results show that how laughter is initiated, where it is placed, and who joins in are significant to the task of…