L’évolution des matrices proverbiales averbales en français: "Jeux de mains, jeux de vilains"

Abstract

This article studies non-verbal proverbs, as well as their evolution, from Medieval to Modern French. Three collections of proverbs have been analysed: for Medieval French Morawski (1925), for Preclassical French Gilles de Noyer (1558), for Modern French Delacourt (1996), complemented by other sources. Non-verbal proverbs establish a binary link of a paratactic kind. In the early stages, most of them are prepositional phrases with two clause constituents that are in close correlation: for instance, in Medieval French D’autrui cuir large corroie, A mal chat mal rat, Por un perdu deus retrovez, Apres grant guerre grant paix. Non-verbal proverbs follow a small number of syntactic moulds or lexical matrixes (see Anscombre 2011). I have established for Medieval French 13 lexical matrixes in all, which can be classified in four large categories: A. GPrep GN De fol home fol sunge, A mal chat mal rat; B. GN1 GN2 Nature reverture; C. GN GPrep Fort contre fort; D. [ON1] que [ON2] Villain que villain. In Medieval French, the most frequent matrixes are 1 De [GN1] [GN2] De grant courroux grant amitie, 51 occurrences, and 2 A [GN1] [GN2] A bon cheval bon gue, 28 occ. Lexical matrixes have already evolved in Preclassical French in the Gilles de Noyer collection. In Modern French most of the medieval matrixes have disappeared. Matrix 1 De [GN1] [GN2] does not exist anymore, whereas matrix 2 A [GN1] [GN2] only has 8 occ. Aux grands maux, les grands remedes. The most productive matrix in Modern French (45 occ.) is GN1 GN2 Tout nouveau, tout beau, Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles. My hypothesis is that this evolution is linked to the informational structure in topic + comment of these utterances.