Ça craint ! C’est le bordel ! Analyser les formules expressives dans une perspective contrastive

Abstract

The study reflects a collective work (Polonium project “Pragmatèmes en contraste”) on expressive formulas, which aimed – in a contrastive perspective – at the lexicographic encoding of formulas commonly used in conversation. These formulas combine one or more illocutionary acts with an expressive element. After recalling the methodological approach and the mobilized corpora, two French phrases (c'est le bordel! and ça craint!) will be used to illustrate the differences in treatment required for these two types of structures, which are part of two different paradigmatic series. French was chosen as the pivot language (for the comparison with Polish and Italian) and the analysis was guided by the following principles: 1) categorial equivalence (a formula belonging to a certain category should ideally be matched with a formula from the same category having the same situational acceptability); 2) lexicological equivalence: for a frozen formula, a formula that is also frozen should be provided. The paper only covers the French-Polish comparison.