Abstract
The power of a grammar as an explanatory device is limited by the kind of data brought within its scope. Tranel (1976) considered the phonology of the cardinal numbers in Standard and Montreal French, linking the description to an evaluation of synchronic grammar. Essential to an explanation of the phonology of numbers is the acknowledgement of their duality of function, as lexeme and as clitic; and of the differences in the synchronic and diachronic status of final consonant loss, with the consequent differences in the synchronic phonology on which lexemic constraints operate in Standard French and the French of Montreal. The linguist who excludes historical and social data, or who selects linguistic data too narrowly cannot hope to match explanation with psychological reality.
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