Le Nom et le Nombre

Abstract

"Number is the most underestimated of the grammatical categories. It is deceptively simple, and is much more interesting and varied than most linguists realise." This very accurate assessment, made not long ago by Greville Corbett in the opening lines of his seminal work (Corbett 2000: 1), is perfectly fitting to introduce the content of this article. The latter addresses the interest that some proponents of Gustave Guillaume’s “Psychomécanique du langage” (the author’s elected framework) have for a mentalist approach which matches some of their own concerns.

Keywords

• grammaticalization
• drohen
• cognitive grammar
• language psychomechanics
• number
• être