À propos de quelques constructions entre syntaxe et discours : l’expression de la continuativité

Abstract

This article examines a few French constructions with two variants: one that can be analysed as an adverbial phrase or clause, the other as a kind of coordination that is not syntax but discourserelated. Three of these constructions concern, at least in their coordinative version, the expression of posteriority: pour + infinitive, avant de + infinitive, jusqu’à ce que. The fourth is illustrated by those of nonrestrictive relative clauses which Jespersen (1933) called continuative relative clauses. The expression of posteriority explains why these constructions are favored in narratives. The analyses presented here deal in particular with their syntactic, declarative, discursive, thematic and aspectual properties.

Keywords

• adverbial phrase / clause
• pour + inf.
• avant de + inf.
• jusqu’à ce que
• continuative relative clauses