La diachronie longue dans un corpus homogène Le cas des constructions V2
Long-term diachrony in a homogeneous corpus The case of V2 constructions

Summary/Abstract: This work examines the long-term evolution of V2 constructions in French. Unambiguous V2 constructions feature a verb in high sentential position, preceded by an initial phrase and followed by the expressed subject. The evolution of these constructions is analyzed in the ConDÉ corpus, a calibrated corpus of Norman custom law texts covering the period between 1250 and 1771. A regular downward curve from 5% to 0,3% is established, and deviations from the curve are explained in terms of register. The constructions are typically motivated by an initial topical projection in the first period (pour ce doit-il le faire 'for this must he do so'), then by a coordinator (et doit-on le faire 'and must one do so'), and finally by adverbials with a concessive value still found today (encore faudrait-il le faire 'yet should one still do so'). The transition from the second to the third period is foreshadowed by the prominent use of toutefois 'however' as initial element in the 16th century. A deeper understanding of a syntactic change is thus promoted by its study over a long period of time.

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