LE STATUT DES OBJETS NULS DANS LE DISCOURS
THE STATUS OF NULL OBJECTS IN THE DISCOURSE

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to raise the problem of silence, through the phenomenonof null objects in French. We lean on the syntax-prosody interface, tosuggest that the absence of objects is conditioned by a discursiveprinciple which depends on the intention or attitude of the speaker. Fromthis perspective, we try, initially, to show the limits of the theoreticalstudies based on the morpho-syntactic and semantic criteria, in order toexplain such phenomenon. Then, by placing the problem on anotherlevel, especially the domain of discourse, we try to analyze the nullobjects by developing the idea of Focus, a process by which the speakeremphasizes the most salient element, to legitimize the omission of theobjects. Finally, we show that such approach allows to include in thesame list verbs which usually belong to different classes.

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