Argumentative Values of Causality in French Constructions Like s’il échoue, c’est qu’il n’apprend pas ses leçons

Abstract

Our paper focuses on the expression of causality, in particular its argumentative values in French constructions like s’il échoue, c’est qu’il n’apprend pas ses leçons. It should be noted that this type of constructions if P, Q, is observable when if P is factual, i.e. when the proposition P does not necessarily express a hypothesis as is generally the case, but an event that has happened or is going to happen. Thus, we find concessional, adversarial, additive and emphatic if P, Q systems. However, in the context of our paper, we will only devote ourselves to causative if-constructions. Our work will be structured in three parts. First, we will highlight the functioning of causality in factual if-constructions, then the enunciative postures generated by causality and finally the self-presentation of the speaker in French causative non hypothetical constructions.