Evolution and Regrammation in the Mood System: Perspectives from Old, Middle, Renaissance and Modern French

Abstract

This chapter considers the evolution of the mood system in concessive clauses during the period from Old to Modern French. It is argued that the mood system in these clauses undergoes a reorganization, whereby it passes from a relatively flexible system in Old French to a system in Modern French which is highly constrained. The evolution of the mood system is described within the framework of an extended grammaticalization theory, referred to as a process of regrammation. It is argued that the subjunctive undergoes this process, since on one hand its functional content is reduced from two values to a single value, and on the other, its alternation with the indicative ceases to exist. It is proposed that, even though the indicative is also reorganized, it does not undergo a process of regrammation, since its functional content is enhanced. This contribution also attempts to illustrate how the evolution of the mood system and of concessive conjunctions contributes to our current understanding of language change per se.