La structure “verbe + adjectif”: Parler vrai, dire juste, faire simple et compagnie

Abstract This article examines four hypotheses that have been suggested in the recent discussion on the syntactic status of French short adverbs such as in aller direct and manger gras (Noailly, 1994, Abeille & Godard, 2004, amongst others). According to the first hypothesis (A), short adverbs are not adverbs but adjectives used beside the verb (“adverbal adjectives”). The second hypothesis (B) follows from the commonplace affirmation of adverbal adjectives being invariable (lacking gender and number agreement). The third hypothesis (C) suggests the analysis of one group of adverbal adjectives as complements of the verb instead of verb modifiers. Finally, it has been assumed that the adverbal adjective is a “light constituent” (Hypothesis D). Theses hypotheses are tested against data stemming from the future Dictionnaire historique de l’adjectif-adverbe. The database of this dictionary includes some 17,000 attested examples of short adverb usage. It will be shown that only Hypothesis A can be verified.