Gérondif et relations de cohérence : le cas de la relation de Cause
The Gerund and Coherence: the Case in the Cause Relation

Summary/Abstract: We aim in this article at discussing the gerund in the context of discourse or rhetorical relations. The focus will be on expressing the cause, so we will analyze mainly the cause or consequence (or effect), explanation or result relations. The goal of our analysis is two-fold. Firstly, we would like to draw attention to the impossibility of the gerund to establish a “posteriority” relation. Secondly, we will show that a mere analysis in terms of discourse or rhetorical relation may prove sufficient and that linguistic markers – here, the occurrence of the gerund – often play an important role in the establishment of such relations.

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