Ça faisait longtemps que P: A Lexical Matrix with Varying Degrees of Freezing in Three Realisations
Abstract
Three uses of Ça faisait longtemps que P share a lexical matrix, i.e. a common pattern and a semantic invariant, but the matrix presents various degrees of freezing depending on the various realisations. The syntactic pattern of the first one, in which the imperfect tense is not mandatory, is variable. The other two are more specialised, the completive part having a mandatory negative form. The second one, which allows the present tense, is nevertheless constrained by an encounter pragmatics. In the third one, which expresses irony through an antiphrase, the completive part has a less constrained lexical content, but the tense of faire is fixed.
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