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Grammaticalisations en créole haïtien : Morceaux choisis (Résumé en anglais)

mercredi 23 avril 2003, par Fattier, Dominique

The role of grammaticalization in haitian creole formation is studied in a perspective akin to Hopper and Traugott (1993 : XV) claim that grammaticalization is « the process whereby lexical items and constructions come in certain linguistic contexts to serve grammatical functions, and, once grammaticalized, continue to develop new grammatical functions ». About thirty cases are examined on the basis of data drawn from Linguistic Atlas of Haiti (Fattier 2000) and diachronic sources. They are classified under different sections : completions of « french grammaticalizations », secondary grammaticalizations, and new departures. The view of grammaticalization is not monogenetic and does not ignore contact-induced developments in the emergence of haitian creole. Some of the cases under discussion have a morphological correlate. In such cases its seems that we are dealing with another language mechanism of change, degrammaticalization process.

Fattier, Dominique (dominique.fattier@u-cergy.fr)