Studii de Lingvistica (Dec 2023)
Analyse de la construction comme ça et de ses fonctions intra- ou extra-prédicatives dans le genre de l’entretien culturel
Abstract
The article analyses the polyfunctionality of comme ça in spoken French, on the basis of an interview between the producer Agnès Varda and the journalist Antoine Guillot (for the realisation of a masterclass on France Culture). The interview lasts more than an hour and the frequency of the appearance of comme ça goes hand in hand with the diversity of its uses. Therefore, in accordance with existing analyses (Cappeau & Savelli 2001, Corminboeuf 2017), we proceeded to a description of the two units – comme and ça – that make up the expression and then to a sorting of the occurrences of comme ça, intra- or extra-predicative. In this way, we can identify a first dichotomy between the marker of syntactic scope, governed by a verb or a noun, and the discourse marker. We will examine some problematic cases that will help us to rule on the non-verbal or suprasegmental material (mimicry, intonation) that accompanies the production of comme ça. The article concludes with a discussion of the phenomena of discourse phraseology as they are reflected in the use of comme ça. We will then be able to re-examine the semantic approximation basis of comme ça (Corminboeuf 2017), which could justify the frequency of the expression in dialogical and narrative contexts (in the manner of a competing marker, voilà).
