Abstracts
Abstract
This article presents a comparative analysis of two varieties of Acadian French: the Par-en-Bas variety of Nova Scotia and the northeastern New Brunswick variety. Previous research has noted morphological differences between these varieties; here, we focus on variable number agreement in subject relative clauses. In these constructions, the verb in the subordinate clause may either show plural agreement with a third-person plural antecedent or appear in the singular. Our analyses revealed clear differences between varieties, with plural agreement occurring frequently in Par-en-Bas but much less commonly in northeastern New Brunswick. Analyses of linguistic constraints further showed that the type of main clause structure influences variant selection, though the specific patterning is different in each community. Our study highlights differences between these varieties in both variant frequency and linguistic conditioning.
Keywords:
- Acadian French,
- morphosyntactic variation,
- language change,
- relative clauses,
- verbal agreement
Résumé
Cet article présente une analyse comparative de deux variétés de français acadien, l’une parlée à Par-en-Bas, en Nouvelle-Écosse, et l’autre parlée dans le nord-est du Nouveau-Brunswick. Des études antérieures font part de différences morphologiques entre ces deux variétés. Nous nous penchons sur l’accord variable en nombre du verbe des relatives sujets. Dans ces constructions, le verbe de la subordonnée peut s’accorder en nombre avec un antécédent pluriel à la troisième personne ou encore être au singulier. Nos résultats démontrent des différences importantes entre ces deux variétés : l’accord verbal au pluriel est plus fréquent à Par-en-Bas que dans le nord-est du Nouveau-Brunswick. Des analyses de contraintes linguistiques démontrent que le type de proposition principale joue un rôle dans la sélection des variantes. Son effet s’opère cependant différemment dans chaque variété. Notre étude révèle des différences entre ces deux variétés de français acadien en ce qui a trait à la fréquence des variantes et au conditionnement linguistique.
Mots-clés :
- français acadien,
- variation morphosyntaxique,
- changement linguistique,
- subordonnées relatives,
- accord verbal
Appendices
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