The verbal phrase to have only with + infinitive in Ivorian French

Abstract

The Ivorian adapted the phrase n’avoir qu’à + infinitive for their new communicative needs. Consequently, its use in some cases departs from the standards established by French grammar. To understand this phenomenon, we interviewed speakers under these three categories: children, illiterate citizens, and educated individuals. The analysis of this oral corpus revealed an abusive use of the aforementioned phrase which tends to substitute the imperative, the subjunctive and infinitive in the speakers’ discourses. This finding produces rich neologisms. They testify at the same time to the vitality of French in this country at a time when each French-speaking community fights to legitimatize its own usage on the francophone world