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Article

French

ID: <

10670/1.q5mtwo

>

Where these data come from
‘ibSinon’/ib vs. ‘ibAutrement’/ib: SI proches, yes loin...

Abstract

`titreb ‘Sinon’ vs ‘Autrement’: Near-synonyms? So near and yet so far `/titreb Sinon and autrement are apparently identical in being able to express three meanings: gradability, logical alternatives and topic change. It is shown that these two connectives do not express the three meanings in the same way, however. Autrement always implies a discourse frame within which the connective indicates an exception, which explains why autrement has more to do with homogeneity than with gradability and shows affinity with positive polarity. Sinon establishes a new assessment of a previous utterance, and in so doing marks a sharp discontinuity from it. As it is not lexically linked to that utterance, sinon can be semantically ambiguous, introducing elaborative or antithetical sequences, often non-predictive and moving easily from language to metalanguage. Of the two connectives, sinon is the only truly alternative one: c’est un mâle (sinon/*autrement) une femelle.

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