CALL FOR PAPERS: Current Evolutions of Romance Tenses

Tenses are traditionally presented as part of a stable temporo aspecto-modal system where each fulfils specific and differentiated functions.

“Eppur si muove”: discursive practice shows a less constraint state of affairs and reveals a 'dynamic synchrony'.

In French, much has been said about the vitality of the historic past  (Dauzat 1946, Meillet 1948, Van  Vliet 1983, Engel 1985, Labeau 2009) and the ways of 'filling the void' (Engel 1998) left by its seeming regression. On the one hand, it has been argued that its aspecto-temporal values of perfective past had been superseded by stylistic uses (Labeau 2008) for example of dimensionalization (Monville-Burston & Waugh 1985). On the other hand, it has been suggested that the evolution of the past historic has had a domino effect on the distribution of tense functions.  For example, the pluperfect that indicates in principle double anteriority is often used as a perfective past (Majumdar & Morris 1980, Ayres-Bennett & Carruthers 2001, Labeau 2009).

Similarly in Italian, literary writing has been developing non-traditional uses for the pluperfect. It has also been shown that forms intuitively fit to purpose such as the simple and periphrastic futures which are used for past narratives (Labeau 2009). In parallel, and in accordance with typological studies, analytical and periphrastic forms develop to express recent past or future, and see their uses widen. Moreover, modal uses become more blurred as in the uncertainties linked to the uses of both subjunctive and conditional as in Spanish, where journalistic uses of the conditional have been spreading over recent years, but are still banned from some newspapers.

The aims of the colloquium will be to describe and to analyse the places where change is currently happening, and where discursive practices are likely to make the verbal system evolve, as well as to evaluate the factors provoking changes. In addition, it is hoped that the meeting will be the starting point of an international reflection network on the issues covered.

Past publications

• Ayres-Bennett, W. & Carruthers, J. (2001) Problems and Perspectives: Studies in the Modern French Language. London: Longman.
• Barcelo J et Bres J., (2006) Les temps de l’indicatif en français. Paris : Ophrys.
• Dauzat, A. (1946) ‘Le fléchissement du prétérit et de l’imparfait du subjonctif: Les causes, les étapes, les résultats’, Études de linguistique française: 62-81.
• Engel, D. (1985). ‘The Survival of the French 'Passé Simple': a Reply to Van Vliet.’ Word 35:77-81.
• Engel, D. (1998) ‘ Combler le vide: le passé simple est-il important dans le système verbal’, in Borillo, A., Vetters, C. & Vuillaume, M. (eds) Variations sur la référence verbale (Cahiers Chronos 3). Amsterdam/Atlanta: Rodopi, pp. 91-107.
• Fleischman, S. (1983) ‘From pragmatics to grammar: Diachronic reflections on pasts and futures in Romance’, Lingua 60:183-214.
• Foulet, L. (1920) ‘La disparition du prétérit.’ Romania 46: 271-313.
• Foulet, L. (1925) ‘Le développement des formes surcomposées’, Romania 51:203-252.
• Labeau, E. (2008 ) ‘Il y a une éternité, il y a un siècle, il y a un an... A quoi sert le PS dans les discours de voeux?’ In  Durand J. Habert B., Laks B. (éds.) Congrès Mondial de Linguistique Française - CMLF'08. Paris : Institut de Linguistique Française. Available online at http://www.linguistiquefrancaise.org/index.php?
• Labeau, E. (2009) Le PS, cher disparu de la rubrique nécrologique ?’ Journal of French Language Studies 19/1:61-86.
• Majumdar, M. and A. M. Morris (1980) ‘The French pluperfect tense as a punctual past’,  Archivum Linguisticum 11(1): 1-12.
• Meillet, A. (1948) ‘Sur la disparition des formes simples du prétérit’, in Linguistique historique et linguistique générale. Paris : Honoré Champion: 149-158.
• Monville-Burston, M. & Waugh, L. (1985) ‘Le passé simple dans le discours journalistique’, Lingua 67 : 121-170.
• Squartini, M.& Bertinetto, P.M. (2000) ‘The Simple and Compound Past in Romance languages’, in Ö. Dahl (ed.), Tense and Aspect in the Languages of Europe, Mouton - De Gruyter: 403-439.
• Yvon, H.  (1963) ‘Le passé simple est-il sorti d’usage ?’, Le français moderne 3 : 161-176.

Organisers

• Jacques Bres, Praxiling UMR 5267 CNRS — Université Paul-Valéry — Montpellier 3.
• Emmanuelle Labeau, School of Languages and Social Sciences, Aston University.
• Inès Saddour, School of Languages and Social Sciences, Aston University.

Scientific committee

• Pier Marco Bertinetto (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa)
• Olivier Bertrand (Ecole Polytechnique / CNRS-ATILF / Université de Savoie)
• Janice Carruthers (Queen University Belfast)
• Walter de Mulder (Antwerpen Universiteit)
• Patrick Dendaele (Antwerpen Universiteit)
• Anne Judge (Surrey University)
• Laurent Gosselin (Université de Rouen)
• Martin Maiden (Oxford)
• Marie-Eve Ritz (University of Western Australia)
• Carl Vetters (Université du Littoral – Côte d’Opale)
• Marc Wilmet (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
• Richard Ingham (Birmingham City University)