Les attributs adjectivaux superlatifs en français et en néerlandais et l’accord de l’article

When a superlative adjective is used as a predicate, the article which co-occurs with the superlative may not agree with the head noun of the subject in certain languages. This study examines the conditions under which non-agreement occurs in French and Dutch. It shows that non-agreement is rare in French and very frequent in Dutch and highlights the factors that contribute to this frequency difference. The article’s behavior with the superlative in both languages supports the hypothesis of its double functioning: as a determiner of the NP indicating the referent’s uniqueness, or as a morpheme of the superlative indicating the uniqueness of the degree.

Publication year:2021

Accessibility:Open