Etude des adjectifs pareil et égal en français contemporain : entre rapport d’identité et polysémie

Abstract

This paper presents a contrastive study of the two French adjectives pareil and égal, which express a relation of identity between two or more terms. We start from the hypothesis that this relation is not a stable but rather a variable one that emerges through a combination of two components, ‘sameness’ and ‘differentness’, with the former component outweighing the latter. We show that each adjective defines in its particular way what corresponds to ‘sameness’ and to ‘differentness’. We also show that the diversity of values (polysemy) as well as the distribution associated with each unit can receive a unified explanation on the basis of a Schematic Form (Forme Schématique), defined as an operation that describes a complex relation between the several parameters it involves.

Keywords

• égal
• identity relation
• pareil
• polysemy
• schematic form
• French