Telic motion constructions in French and the notion of tendentiality

Abstract

It has been regularly maintained that, while widespread in satellite-framed languages, constructions that associate an atelic verb of manner of motion with a spatial prepositional phrase (PP) to denote a telic motion are very rare in verb-framed languages. Yet, in French, these constructions are not as marginal as usually claimed especially as they involve an atelic vs. telic contrast, beyond the mere manner vs. path opposition. After a preliminary delimitation of the constructions studied and a brief presentation of the theoretical framework, this contribution checks the specific meaning properties of French atelic motion verbs that appear in telic motion constructions, using attested data. Cotextual, contextual and pragmatic parameters of the constructions are similarly highlighted by the qualitative analysis carried out. The paper also examines how the telic interpretation arises from the interplay of “tendential” verbs and spatial prepositions/PPs. This study completes a previous analysis by the author on various points, providing an in-depth delineation of the phenomenon at stake and its underpinnings, and focusing on several verbs and verbal locutions that, for different reasons, depart from the criteria identified (e.g., aller ‘to go’, se déplacer ‘to move (around)’, glisser sur ‘to slide on’, grimper à ‘to climb (up)’, tomber ‘to fall’).