La préposition de est-elle thématique ? Une analyse contextuelle dans un cadre cognitif
Is the Preposition de Thematic ? A Contextual Analysis in a Cognitive Framework

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the contexts of using the preposition “de” regarded as a thematic one. The methodological framework here is cognitive linguistics, which means that we will try to examine a cognitive context which influences the use of the preposition “de”. The starting point of our study is the notion that the preposition “de” is a marker of thematization; however, we would like to demonstrate that thematization is not only a textual or discursive phenomenon; it also depends on the prior knowledge of the speaker. Thus, for example, Merci de m’avoir aidé/ de ton aide and J’ai décidé de partir en vacances, the information introduced by the preposition “de” is thematic in the sense that it is posed and that it is about something which is said. But in, e.g., Il se mêle des affaires d’autrui, Il parle de politique and Je te conseille de te reposer (vs. Je te conseille le repos), the use of the preposition “de” – if it remains thematic – requires a redefinition of the topic including the prior knowledge of the speaker. The preposition de therefore serves as a marker of this knowledge.

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