Abstract
In this article, we study intensive comparisons of the PECO (adjectival predicate) and PVCO (verbal predicate) classes in Old French (primarily focusing on texts from the 12th and 13th centuries). We have proceeded by emptying and analysing a base corpus, completed with other sources, in order to offer the broadest possible overview of the topic. Intensive collocations are presented in accordance with the second term of the comparison: Humans, Animals, Vegetables, Inanimates and Abstracts. We offer numerous annotated examples of the type of collocations studied and of some similar collocations. This is a propaedeutic study that will give rise to various modules of electronic dictionaries that can be integrated into the NooJ linguistic engineering system. It is part of a broader research project to create a global description of intensive collocations in Medieval French that is being conducted within the framework of the COLINDANTE (Intensive Collocations in Old French and Their Translations into Contemporary French and Spanish, PID2019-104741GB-100) project funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain).
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Notes
- 1.
In some cases where the example was particularly representative, we have included collocations with other comparative connectors, e.g. plus que ‘more than’: Roge est la maille plus que n’est feus ardenz (Le Couronnement de Louis, E173, 1130, v. 2478–2479).
- 2.
We make an approximate reference to the different classes of predicates, in order to avoid the formalism of semantic labels, which would not make matters any clearer here. However, our basis is a complete hierarchy of semantic labels presented in [3].
- 3.
Which is presented to us as a hairy animal: Velu sont commë ours, poil ont dur et poignant (Roman d’Alexandre, A111, branche 3, 1180, p. 206).
- 4.
We should specify that fiers appears here in the sense of ‘courageous, fearless’, and not ‘proud’.
- 5.
The gradation between the two animals reflected in the following context is interesting. The lion surpasses the leopard in power and courage: Li uns des trois passera son pere autant come li lyons passe le liepart de pooir et de hardement (La Queste del Saint Graal, S985, 1220, p. 77).
- 6.
As an example of another concrete inanimate noun, we have ‘to tear (chainmail) as if it were a (bed)sheet’ (Lor haubers lor derompent autresi comme dras, Roman d’Alexandre A111, 1180, branche 3, p. 298) or ‘tense as a drum’ (Quant tendanz est comme tabours, Miracles de Notre-Dame, A142, 1218, t.4, p. 479).
- 7.
The moon is also a symbol of change, hence ‘lunatic’: Le fol se mue comme la lune (Le Livre de Ethiques d’Aristote, 5903, 1370, p. 472). Note, however, that this is an example from the 14th century.
- 8.
The form vermeil come sanc is even more frequent than rouge come sanc. Shortly before the cited example, we can read in the same text: et voient autres letres vermeilles come sanc, qui disoient […] (La Queste del Saint Graal, S985, 1220, p. 203).
- 9.
In the following occurrence it is specified that they fly ‘thickly’: Saiestes volent tant espesse[e]ment / Conme la pleuue qui de menut descent (Aspremont, A157, 1190, p. 226).
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Acknowledgments
The present research has been funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain) in the framework of the Project I+D+i COLINDANTE (PID2019-104741GB-100).
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Blanco, X., Yakubovich, Y. (2021). Intensive Comparisons of the PECO and PVCO Classes in Old French. In: Bigey, M., Richeton, A., Silberztein, M., Thomas, I. (eds) Formalizing Natural Languages: Applications to Natural Language Processing and Digital Humanities. NooJ 2021. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1520. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92861-2_2
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