POUR UNE DÉFINITION DE L’IDIOLECTE
FOR A DEFINITION OF IDIOLECT

Summary/Abstract: The paper makes a synthesis of definitions given by linguists about the concept called IDIOLECT and presents pros and cons whether it should be considered a scientific notion to be researched as one. All definitions include terms like - individual, language, singularity, behaviour -, and linguistic works analyse language starting from its first material reality which is the individual speech. Some French researchers tried to find the reasons why the idiolect is minimized, to conclude that it derives from its vagueness and the impossibility to identify and theorize its characteristics (Détrie, Remi-Giraud), while others stated that the idiolect is always characterized by Repetition and Singularity (Barberis). Opposing idiolect to already recognized other scientific notions like Style, Sociolect or Dialect represents a key argument to making out of language a polylecte formed of numerous idiolects.

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