Expressing the Same by the Different

The subjunctive vs the indicative in French

Igor Dreer
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
This volume offers an alternative, sign-oriented analysis of the distribution of the French Indicative and Subjunctive. It rejects both government and functions, attributed to both moods, and shows that the distribution of the Indicative and the Subjunctive is motivated by their invariant meanings. The volume illustrates the close interaction between the Indicative and the Subjunctive, as linguistic signs, and signs of other grammatical systems, contextually associated with the invariant meanings of both moods. Special consideration is given to the use of the Indicative and the Subjunctive in texts of different styles and genres.

This volume also deals with the diachronic disfavoring of the Subjunctive and especially of the Imperfect Subjunctive that occurred from Old French to Contemporary French. It is argued that this disfavoring was motivated by the narrowing of the invariant meaning of the Contemporary French Subjunctive. All hypotheses are supported by contextualized examples and frequency counts.

[Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, 59]  2007.  xxx, 272 pp.
Publishing status: Available
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ISBN 9789027215680 | EUR 110.00 | USD 165.00
 
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Table of Contents

Dedication
v
Acknowledgements
xi
List of tables
xiii–xiv
List of figures
xv
Preface
xvii–xxx
Part 1. The problem of French mood
1. Sentence-oriented approaches
3–42
2. Sign-oriented approaches
43–51
Part 2. Columbia School theory
3. The basic principles
55–74
4. Hypothesis
75–81
Part 3. "Micro-level" analysis
83–84
5. Occurrence System and the encoder's commitment
85–128
6. Occurrence System and subjective comment
129–145
7. Occurrence System and negation
147–164
Part 4. "Macro-level" analysis
165
8. "From sign to text" approach
167–179
9. "From text to sign" approach
181–196
Part 5. The subjunctive moods: Diachronic analysis
197–199
10. Previous explanations for the use of the Subjunctive forms and for their disfavoring
201–206
11. The analysis of the general disfavoring of the Subjunctive
207–215
12. The analysis of the disfavoring of the Imperfect Subjunctive
217–221
13. The Subjunctive moods in Old French: "Micro-level" analysis
223–229
14. The Subjunctive moods in Old French: "Macro-level" analysis
231–237
15. The Subjunctive moods in contemporary French: "Micro-level" analysis
239–247
16. The Subjunctive moods in contemporary French: "Macro-level" analysis
249–254
Concluding remarks
255–258
List of references
259–268
Name index
269–270
Subject index
271–272

Subjects

Benjamins Subject classification

BIC Subject

CFK: Grammar, syntax

BISAC Subject

LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number:  2007022856
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