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The complementizer C with the WH-word quo in a Franco-Ontarian vernacular of south-western Ontario

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2002

Moshé Starets
Affiliation:
University of Windsor, Ontario

Abstract

In this article, we will examine the Complementizer Phrase (CP) involving the element quo in the oral expression of a small French community in the south-western tip of the province of Ontario in Canada, in an area historically known as La Petite-Côte (LPC) where French has been spoken for three centuries now. We will examine the various types of sentences in LPC that feature a CP: free relatives, partial direct questions, indirect questions and full relatives. The Complementizer in LPC can be simple or composite; it is more complex than its standard French (SF) counterpart. We will examine the various allomorphs of each one of these Complementizers. Contrary to Standard French, LPC French, like colloquial French and other French Canadian vernaculars, allows doubly filled CP. The aim of this article is to contribute to the descriptive information available about French Canadian varieties.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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