Adpositions locatives en français de Côte d’Ivoire, en dioula et en baoulé

Abstract

The analysis proposed here compares certain locative constructions in Ivory Coast French, specifically Jula and Bawle (two Ivorian languages), in order to examine the function of locative adpositions from a contrastive point of view. The analysis makes it possible to characterise the underlying structures of these three languages, which are moreover very different, as well as the notion of ‘semantax’ (cf. Gabriel Manessy, 1995). The ‘semantax’ hypothesis presupposes the existence of a cognitive level which interfaces between language universals and the syntax of given languages. It involves a method of grasping, conceptualising and expressing a reality shared by cultures which are different but nevertheless geographically close, and which is reflected in the grammars of the various languages.

Keywords

• variation
• Jula
• Bawle
• semantax
• French
• locative adpositions