Italian allora, French alors: Functions, Convergences and Divergences

Carla Bazzanella (1) , Cristiana Bosco (1) , Alessandro Garcea (2) , Barbara Gili Fivela (3) , Johann Miecznikowskii (1) , Francesca Tini Brunozzi (1)

1 UNITO - Università degli studi di Torino = University of Turin
2 Rome et ses Renaissances - Centre Guillaume Budé
3 University of Salento [Lecce]

The functions, convergences, and divergences of Italian allora and French alors are analyzed in two Italian texts (the Novellino, in Old Italian, and Paso Doble, in Modern Italian) and their French translations. The DM is used differently in the two languages, and the contrastive analysis allows us to better assess those differences, by explicitly quantifying the degree of correspondence, omissions, and non-literal translations. Furthermore, our work confirms the existence of functions which may be identified as more central or more peripheral within a certain configuration, and emphasizes the existence of cross-language preferences for a more/less rich set of forms for expressing a particular function. The polyfunctionality and context-boundness which characterize DMs in general are held responsible for differences in translation, thus motivating the several shades of meaning which distinguish It. allora (with regard both to Old and Modern Italian) from French alors.

Mots clés: Latin linguistics; Roman philology; Pragmatics

Domaines: Linguistique

Carla Bazzanella, Cristiana Bosco, Alessandro Garcea, Barbara Gili Fivela, Johann Miecznikowskii, et al.. Italian allora, French alors: Functions, Convergences and Divergences. Catalan Journal of Linguistics, 2007, 6, pp.9-37. ⟨halshs-00220451⟩