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Tracing a morphosyntactic change in Quebec French: the non-standard conditional in si-clauses1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2010

CARMEN L. LEBLANC
CARMEN L. LEBLANC*
Affiliation:
Department of French, 1602 Dunton Tower, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada e-mail: carmen_leblanc@carleton.ca
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Abstract

We follow the trajectory of a change in progress in Québec French. The study is based on interviews with speakers born between 1895 and 1965. The results show an increase in conditional morphology in the si-clauses of hypothetical complexes. After WWII, the conditional becomes the quantitative norm. The analysis of a number of demographic and socio-economic factors reveals that the usage likely originated in the working class male group. Today, use of the conditional is generalised in the community and it is the preferred form for the younger speakers; only the most educated hold on to the old rule.

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Type
Articles
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Journal of French Language Studies , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , July 2010 , pp. 151 - 169
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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