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- Title
Nous versus on: Pronouns with first-person plural reference in synchronous French chat.
- Authors
van Compernolle, Rémi A.
- Abstract
This article explores variation in the use of the pronouns nous and on for first-person plural reference in a substantial corpus of French-language Internet chat discourse. The results indicate that on is nearly categorically preferred to nous, which is in line with previous research on informal spoken French. A qualitative analysis of nous tokens suggests that the use of this variant is limited to certain contexts, such as jokes, imitations and role-plays, or in order to refer to a group "seen from the outside." This research has implications for the study of discourse produced in electronic environments in relation to speech and writing. In concluding, the fate of nous is discussed and directions for future research on computer-mediated communication are advanced.
- Subjects
FRANCE; PRONOUNS (Grammar); PERSON (Grammar); DISCOURSE; FRENCH language education; INTERNET in education
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue Canadiennne de Linguistique Appliquée, 2008, Vol 11, Issue 2, p85
- ISSN
1481-868X
- Publication type
Article